Fireball Forward: Stiffening Resistance (Game two)

 Started a second round of Stiffening Resistance on Tabletop Simulator.  We finished up to the end of turn 3 in 2.5 hours.  Not bad since it includes setup and rules reading time.

The situation at the end of turn 3.  The Germans are taking lumps.  Blind fire into the buildings by the UK resulted in a lot more Morale Checks for the Germans then averages would allow.  One tank rolled double red sixes when fast moving for instance.  One UK halftrack is down and the Germans have lost a squad and 3 Halftracks.  The one with the 75mm is still in the game though.

First Blood!  The Germans got the first kill in the game - which was quickly followed by the Germans losing their unit as well.

Fireball Forward: Stiffening Resistance

 Played this one today with Jeff and my son.  The Brits did not get to the VC conditions in time (mainly due to my messing up the vehicle terrain crossings with hills not applying).  Germans were doing great till turn 4 when the Brits took out half of their force).

Overview at game end.  The Brits needed to get the two buildings at the bottom on the picture and needed another turn just to reach them.  The tank on the left could have made it off the board but would have needed to use an initiative chit to do so (they brits had one chit left and no chance to get more).

A closeup of the advancing British Sherman V tanks and a piat team (the team had taken out the Burning German Halftrack near the top left of the picture).

ASL 139: The Weigh in (Finish)

 One turn slaughter!  German tanks swarmed my defenses and I failed to use spray fire or cover all approaches with resid.  The resulting stroll finished off the Poles in one turn.  It didn't help that the Germans with those tanks rolled snakes to kill off the Polish 9-1 leader and HMG and then did the same to the other MMG.

ASL 139: The Weigh In

 Played this one today up to turn 3.  Germans were cautious moving into position.  Three turns done.

ASL 138: Battle of Sabers (finish)

 Finished this one up (started on January 28).  MUCH more fun in the last two turns.

Turn 6 was fairly standard except for the fact that Heavy Rain started.  Shots were doing mostly nothing.  Only a single HS was broken and ran (Polish guy at the bottom)

Overview of turn 7.  Germans at the top probably should have tried to get into CC with a couple of the Poles but that would have required moving in the open (even with the rain that would be risky) and the Poles could break and run from CC...

Down to the wire.  The Germans (with the help and hindrance of the rain) manage to get three stacks into CC.  The 9-2 and squad with it were attacked in C9 and B8 and bad rolls meant no damage.  Return fire pinned the squad shooting at them.  In CC they got it down to a HS.  The 548 killed the squad it jumped into CC with.  The LMG toting squads (D6) managed to get ambush by the ATR toting Pole and the Poles decided to run away.  If the final CC phase (Polish) goes as expected the final Tally would be +7cvp for the Germans and they lose by 1.  I concede the game at this point since the Poles will not move into combat range otherwise.  A great ending to an otherwise kinda boring game.

Already have ASL 139 setup for next week.  LOTS of tanks versus lots of guns and a couple of tanks for the defenders.

ASL 138: Battle of Sabers

 Have to admit.  This one was pretty boring up till the end of this game day, it was much more fun when we finished it up in February.  This part consisted of the Poles retreating and the Germans advancing.  Perhaps I should have pushed more and risked more defensive fire shots.  The cavalry aspect played almost no part in this game, the woods kept them from moving fast and charging was not really an option.

The setup.  A squad or two of Poles are setup HIP (they have the option to come on from the West instead).  Germans have to get 12CVP off the West edge or get 8 CVP higher then the Poles at game end.

End of German turn 1.  Lost a half squad but so will the Poles.

End of Polish turn 1.  The backpedaling starts...

End of German turn 2.  The other Polish HIPster was found and dealt with (bottom).  In the next turn the Germans would finish it off for the CVP.

End of Polish turn 5.  Two turns left to go.  Very little shooting so far and mostly ineffective.  Rain started somewhere around turn 3 or 4.

Fireball Forward: The Crossroads. From Panzer Lehr at Saint Lo

Reffed this one with a new friend and my son.  Jeff (new guy) took the US and Jordan (My son) took the Germans.  A six turn fight over a crossroads in Normandy.

The Germans enter from the bottom and the US setup behind the line.  I made a mistake and the US roll of a 1 on the setup only allowed a single unit to setup south of the topmost hedgerow.  It would make a big difference.  Also forgetting that moving off a road required a bog check.

The Germans throw in the towel on turn 3.  The first US shot at a PZIV is a crit and kills the tank.  The unit morale makes the survivor run off the board.  The next shot is another crit and kills another German tank.  The remaining German tank managed to kill that Sherman (the exchange of shots shown) but then failed it's unit morale check for having lost a tank.  The US passed their check so at this point the Germans were down 4 tanks (one broken tank left) while the US were down a single tank with 9 left.  Points wise it was over.  If the hits had not been crits or if they had missed it may have ended differently but the odds are with the US in this one.  It also does not help that the stats on the PZIV are different between the 2nd edition rules, this module, and the latest unit charts.  The latest unit charts probably would have given the PZIV an edge since they had more armor and might have stopped another hit.  The M4s also had another point of armor too though.