ASL scenario Race for the Meuse

 Under the "They can't all be winners" label will have to go Race for the Meuse.  The map is a work of art and the situation is interesting.  The German attack through the Ardennes in 1940 instead of the Bulge battle in 44.  The problem is the forces are too small in ASL terms to be interesting considering the map size.  Basically two platoons on each side facing off on a single campaign map.  Way too much ground to cover.

Tycho had the Germans and I had the defending Belgians.  Most of the forces for the entire first CG day are on the board, each of us had lost about 3 squads.  All of the Belgian units are Half Squads and many of the German ones are as well.  The Germans at the top got the worst of it, losing their leader early to a MTR shot (I think) while down below the Belgians got the worst of it overall.  This is turn 6 and the Germans had just broken the 10-2 Belgian leader and HS with him (with a lousy 6+2 shot no less) and the 10-2 has nowhere to rout I think.  

By this point we were both bored of it anyway and called it.  ASL was meant to handle slightly larger forces then a platoon vs a platoon in concrete buildings.  Or maybe just not our thing.

Annoyance (Victory) in the Pacific

 Finished the Victory in the Pacific game.  I got annoyed with the Vassal die roller and conceded.  Consistently rolling half the number of hits expected on average and then consistently rolling 1 or 2 damage per hit put a damper on things.  

ASL Action Pack 116: Mook Point

The Germans have 7 turns to either have NO GO US MMC on the level two hills or to have more buildings then the US has MMC on the level two hills.  The US has a 70mm OBA but LOS is highly restricted due to the trees being Pine Woods (level 2 instead of level 1).

I see Nut Ting!

After this last shot on the Leader I called it.  There was no way I was going to take enough buildings and clear enough US MMC from the level 2 hills to win with just 2 Movement Phases left to go.  A little whining, my first turns worth of IFT rolls averaged a 9, one roll was a 6 and the rest were 8 to 11.  Overruns with 8+2fp did squat too, well not really since one of them caused the US to generate a hero...

In two weeks it is off to the Ardennes (in 1940) where my Belgians will fight the Germans in the LC campaign game Race for the Meuse.

Victory in the Pacific

 Lawrence and I started this on VASSAL.  Made it through turn 2 in 3 hours.  The last time we played was 6+ years ago (back before this blog started) so we were both a bit rusty.  Things are flowing once turn 1 was half done though.  We both made mistakes and things are up for grabs.  This game is one of the classics, playable in a reasonable amount time, simple, and reasonably good history too.

His Pearl Harbor raid did not go well.  No ships were removed from the game and a few were able to sail right away.  My choice of battle type rolls were horrible too (lost 2 out of 3 and tied on the last one with a +2 on the roll in two of them).  I made a mistake of putting only one ship in Coral Sea on turn 1 which was sunk by the sub and sending ships to Indonesia which were also sunk.  

ASL scenario To Battle By Air 7

 The second of two small ASL scenarios played today.  This one took roughly 45 minutes to play through once setup was done.

The setup.  The Dutch have to have a single MMC (not DM) with LOS to the circled hex within 2 hexes as well.  It does not have to be Good Order, simply unbroken (so in CC or pinned is fine).

The different color lines roughly show how far the Dutch moved each turn.  The Germans DRs were crap for the most part with the exception causing a big Dutch sniper to DM a squad in the spot were the sniper currently is.  Top it off with a CC going to the Dutch on turn 3 leaving a Dutch squad in position to fire on the bridge bound German reinforcements and the game is over.  This one I might play again someday since it has the Dutch setting up in a defensive spot with reinforcements coming on then German reinforcements coming on.  I'm guessing that even without bad dice it is pro Dutch.

ASL Scenario Race for the Meuse 1

The first of two ASL games played via VASL today.  Once setup was done this only took an hour to play.

To win the Germans have to exit more VP off the left edge by the end of game turn six than the Belgians.  The two big stacks (in the middle and at the bottom) are dummies.

The German motorcycles come roaring on, into deadly fire for the scouts who are killed with K results.  The Belgians (me) press their luck with FPF and and earlier sustained fire.  Breaking the squad and the MMG.  The picture here is the end of German turn three of a six turn game.  A 9-1 German leader at the top was attacked with a big sniper leaving nobody to rally the broken Germans.  To make it worse their attacks on the 2 half squads in a small wooden building did squat for 3 turns.  In the main part of town Belgians gacked another MMG but the Germans were down to 2 Good Order squads versus 3.5 Belgian Good Order squads.  So game one of the day goes to the Belgians.  

Hard to say if this one is balanced.  The sniper killing the prime German leader early in such a small scenario is one of those things that make or break something this large.  Not on my list to play a second time though.

ASL Action Pack 110: Display of Enthusiasm

 Played this one by email.  It helps with my grouchy attitude in regards to Dice Rolls.  This was the final scenario in our ASL 29 Lets Go playthrough.  Although it has a ROAR record of 9 German wins to 14 US my opponent and I do not see how.

The setup.  The Germans can setup either on the left (which I did) or on the right between the German location control markers to the top of the map. Of the Germans can come on anywhere along the top.  To win they have either have an MMC south of the stream at the end of any player turn OR control the buildings (or is it no US in buildings between two lines, something like that) at end of game.  The US has to spread out to defend leaving the Germans the ability concentrate and with the ability to make it to the stream on either flank in two turns barring really bad luck that is a tall order.  Basically I bum rushed the left.

Near the end of German turn 2 movement phase.  After rolling boxcars on two 8fp MG attacks, two tens on OVR attacks, and some bad attack rolls on the US guy in the foxhole (nearly surrounded right now) I still managed to get a squad next to the stream and the US would be hard pressed to get a unit in firing position on it.  The US player was aggravated with this one since it was basically a back to the wall game for him the entire time.  If it was not for a 666 self rallying with a 1,2DR it would have been even worse.  Just to not be totally whiny my 9-1 up top had an 12+1 shot Stun the US Armored Car and the Panther did get a CH on another 666 squad (after the boxcars MG shot).  

Whoever won this as the US, how did you do it barring extreme luck?  Did the Germans not try a bum rush?