ASL Winter Offensive 13 AAR

Played this ASL scenario back in February (still behind but catching up).  As the Russian player I loved it... 
The eye catching bits for this scenario are the Sherman tanks the Russian gets and the "rolling" barrage.  It automatically lands each turn and gets pushed back 3-6 hexes (Russian choice) as well.  Once it lands offboard it is gone.  The Random Direction is a maximum of two hexes away as well.  It is harrasing fire at 70mm so not TOOO deadly unless the target is in the woods but it made for a very effective shield down the middle.

Board setup.  The Russians need to earn 12vp to win.  They get exit VP for getting of the South edge (2VP per tank, prisoners don't count, normal for others).  They also get VP for the 3 stone buildings, 3vp each if captured on turn 5, 2 on turn 6, and 1 on turn 7.  

End of Russian turn 1.  Things go pretty well for the Russians in their half of turn 1, 2 squads broken but German skirmish line pushed hard.

End of German turn 1.  German front line retreats and two squads left with nowhere to go are captured.

End of Russian turn 2 Fire phase.  The Russians press forward quickly, breaking apart the second German line.

End of Russian turn 2.  The Germans lost the CC up north and the Russians advance forward.

End of German turn 2.  Germans stacks are broken by the Arty and Russian squads.  Down near the bottom is a German 82mm MTR.  The middle of the board is clear of resistance but the Russian's own arty will keep them from just swarming right through.

End of Russian turn 3.  The remainder of the German front line is eliminated when no quarter is declared.  The German MTR is overrun and the crew scattered.  A Russian squad rolls boxcars when chancing a trip into the barrage...  Finally a German sniper breaks the HMG crew which had only just rallied after breaking earlier.

Maybe I didn't give the arty it's proper due in the opening comments...

End of German turn 3.  The German AFV reinforcements come on board while the HT up north Bogs itself trying to go over the hedge. 

End of Russian turn 4.  The tanks take the top of the map and kill the HT in advancing fire, the Germans did not hit the Sherman moving across their front.  The German 8-1 stack fired causing NE on the CX unit when it was in the woods. 

End of German turn 4.  The 8-1 squad breaks one group of Russians but Berserks the other.  Meanwhile the Sherman fired and got Acquisition.  Near the bottom the HS broke the stack next to it.

The situation after the first Russian shot of turn 5.  The Sherman broke the 8-1 and the squad and we called the game.  Barring something very strange (a sniper attack is all I can think of) the Russians would capture the 3vp buildings for a total of 9vp, the Sherman up top would get off the map for 2vp, and that would leave just 1vp for a Russian win.  The Stugs would not be able to get into position to stop the remaining Shermans from getting off the board the next turn for 4 more VP.

This scenario was one of a series where things seemed to go easy for one side over the other (in this case it was me it was easy for, in others it was Tycho).  Perhaps a slightly different setup may help the Germans or slightly different dice results, I don't remember especially good luck in this one but it almost always seemed to go my way - so I'd rate it as my being the lucky one in this scenario.  A one turn holdup early on would have made all the difference between a blowout and a much tighter game and that is where the Russian luck comes in, the German front line never got a hit on the Russians that could slow them down.  At any rate this is a good medium sized scenario with a nice force mixture.

Bounding Fire Productions ASL scenario 23: Prelim to Death Night

Played ASL scenario BFP023 on January Seventh (?!) and am just getting round to writing it up.  Getting that kind of beating puts one off of blogging...

The setup.  The Germans have to catch 12 building locations in 6 turns to win.  The US have 1 50 cal, 1 heavy, 2 mediums, and 2 Bazookas while the Germans have 2MMG and 4LMG.  The US plan is to blast the first line if they dare to get to PB range and fall back to the buildings.

End of first German turn and a pattern starts to develop.  The first shot (from the Recalled SPG hex - though not the gun itself which missed) breaks the MMG position and they make a run for it.  The Germans then surge forward into three 12-2 shots and two 6-2 shot2.  Over half of those end up as no effect.  In return fire with 8+2 shots another US squad breaks and runs.  The topmost shot is a 12 straight shot for NE as well.  Only real positive thing is the US sniper recalls the German AFV.

Yeah, I'm a whiner - bite me...

End of US turn 1.  The HMG fires along with crew and gets NE (breaking the HMG too) and return fire breaks the crew.  The other HMG fires for NE as well.

German turn 2.  Picture says it all...

End of US turn 2.  The game would go on a couple more turns but it was all over at this point.  (that Opfire MMG was actually the HMG).  The US squads have to re-position to the town to have any chance of stopping the Germans, surely two squads trying for smoke would have one of them make it - NOPE they both roll sixes.

I had a bad setup but I didn't realize just how totally CRAPPY my roll of dice was till I went back over the log today.

Yeah, I'm whining again...

Probably a good scenario - the AFV is what we both called scenario bait, it catches the eye having a 150mm armed AFV but with the firepower floating around it would not have lasted long even without that sniper (well, considering the US rolling...)

ASL Scenario BFP 14: Opening Phase

Another quick writeup.  Played this on January 2nd and it has been a lousy time since then for getting things written down. 

Start of game.  The US has to capture all the buildings in the red area with 13 or fewer CVP.

End of Turn 2.  The US forces come in on the right and other than a couple of half squads (one of which was eliminated in CC with no US loss) there is no German resistance.

End of turn 3.  The US move up to the village.  The German units in the W3 building were dummies.

End of Turn 6.  The US moves more slowly but manage to keep on track with losses well within the safe zone.  German arty managed to rubble a building with a US squad and leader in it - never had that happen before...

Me Too!  But it requires math and keeping track of the enemy OOB!

End of game.  The unit at the bottom went first, the other one went second, why did I do that???  I could route into the building for the win I thought...  I could have had units in P4 (at least one) go to O5 to take that building (and the German leader I should have known was hiding there).  German win though he felt like he was getting smacked around the entire game other than that Arty rubbling a building...

GCACW All Green Alike

Really quick writeup for a game of Stonewall Jackson's Way II.  Played an alternate first Manassas scenario where the USA moves quicker - and boy did they move.

Start of scenario, the Union have to cross the river and take the spaces marked with tile spacers.

End of first day and the game.  USA had a large run of activations before the CSA allowing them to attack twice at the top left of the CSA line and breakthrough.  They then got to attack again before the CSA moved to take the second one to the left.  CSA got to move once after that and moved to where the third battle star is - USA got another couple of initiative and bounced the CSA out of there as well.  Off to the far left the USA forces made it to that spot you see on the RR keeping Stonewall from getting anywhere near the VC locations.  Called it a game at that point.  Decisive Union victory.

ASL scenario BFP22: Speed Over Caution

Played Bounding Fire Productions scenario 22 titled Speed Over Caution today.  It takes place on board 6 with overlays to get rid of the manor house and uses BFP's light bocage rules.  Basically making them half height, 1.5MF to cross, and no blind hex behind them.

Tycho had a plan for the US so I took the defending Germans.  The highlight for the Germans are two Panther tanks, two Shrecks, and an HMG.  The last useful item is a roadblock.

On the US side the draw is six tanks, three with Gyros, one with a 76L, and an 8-1 armor leader.  In addition they had 2 Bazookas and 2MMG.  The troop ratio was 11.5 squads to 8 and 3 leaders to 2.

Sorry Tycho, couldn't resist...

A look at the game start.  US troops have to control the buildings in the Yellow area OR get 20cvp off the board where the US star is at the bottom.

The first US tank enters the board, fired on by a Faust which misses, the tank was not one with a Gyro so the Panther shot at him and brewed him up as shown.

First one down.

Second one comes on board, this time the 76L armed Sherman.  Fires and misses, Panther takes an IF shot and rolls 11...

He then fires his MGs and causes a stun and DMs the riders on the tank to boot.

Third Tank Comes on board and suffers a BIG STUN result from entering the Bore Sighted HMG location (and more hot dice for me).

Two US Tanks down.

Another Sherman suffers another little stun result from the HMG position.

That HMG is on a roll...

Situation at the end of the US half of turn 1.

The Panther fixes his MA on the first try and destroys the 76L armed Sherman.  At this Tycho wisely thought it was over...

Keep playing, you still have a chance, my luck has to turn sometime...

End of German turn 1.  The CX squad next to the Panther fired on a squad I had moved into the Panther's hex for some hairbrained reason I don't remember.  It deserved the fate it got.  The squad with the LMG was trying to get the Wall Advantage HS with the Baz to fire at him so the Panther could scoot on by, no luck so the Squad cut him off from heading for the Panther instead (after they fired at each other to no effect in Defensive and Advancing Fire).  At the top of the map the squad in the foxhole broke and ran so another squad jumped in.

The US tanks and a Bazooka fired 7 times at the Malfed Panther (not taking chances after it fixed the MA immediately last time...).  Ricochets all around...

End of US Turn 2.  One squad made the AATC, jumped on the Panther and killed it. 

End of German turn 2 and End of Game.  First off, I rolled GUSTS for the weahter so all the smoke was gone (and just read that it may have only been reduced).  The remaining Panther Jumped in CC the US 9-1, MMG, and Squad in G3 and only managed to pin them.  He then tried is nuggywerfer in CC and failed the roll.  On the plus side the US squads did not manage to kill him.  Down below the Shreck carrying HS captured the US Baz HS.  Up North the US squad that snuck past the front line was broken by point blank fire from J1.  He ran upstairs when a German squad moved in back of him to prevent routing away.  At this point Tycho called it and we stopped the game.  With only one tank left getting of the board for the CVP win was impossible and taking the 5 victory buildings would require extreme luck - which had been going my way till now.

This scenario really was decided the instant the Panther's MA was repaired and it took out the last two full functional Shermans.  The two on the road were recalled due to HMG fire so I let them go, Tycho did try desperation kill shots on the Panther but they missed.    This is the third scenario in a row that was pretty much decided on the first turn or two.  Although in this case I think it was REALLY extreme luck on my part and bad math on Tycho's part (he thought woods was quarter mp to enter rather than half - no insult, I can't keep track of all the things I get wrong) but with TWO tanks taken out by HMG fire and recalled that really hurts.  Finally the MA repair was a killer - if it had not Malfed the US would have stayed out of LOS of the thing and smoked it, as it was it came back and ripped the offensive apart all by itself.

ASL 24: The Mad Minute (Yanks 2 version)

Played the new version of ASL scenario 24 "The Mad Minute".  The original was known as a badly balanced scenario highly pro-German.  This new one had the following changes to help the US.  First the number of buildings the Germans had to take was upped to 22 (from 18 I think).  Second is the Germans do not get to setup on board (the board they setup on was removed and they have to enter on turn 1, BIG difference there since they could not fire smoke or anything in prep).  Third was the US M10 tank destroyers get to US HIP like a GUN.  I played the US in this one and Tycho played the Germans, I'll give my thoughts on this one after the replay.

Setup for start of game.  The Germans come in from the top (as shown).  The buildings they have to capture are the bottom map.  Finally the Germans have to have 3 or more mobile AFV at game end to win in addition to the buildings, they start the game with 9 tanks.

First Kill!  The Germans start onto the board with a Panther and an M10 skulking the in brush gets a side shot and hits.  The M10 did manage to keep concealment (just like a gun) but I removed it for the picture.

One Panther Down.

End of German turn 1.  The Germans move on board, all but the other M10 on the other side of the board open fire.  By the end of this player turn the Germans are down 3 tanks, 6 left.  The US infantry also open up with MMG and HMG fire from level 2 buildings, not as much carnage as I hoped but a good bit none the less.  The gun on the far left malfed on an IF shot.

End of US turn 1.  The M10 tried to fire at one of the Panthers with APCR and rolled a 7, none available.  He switched to regular rounds and fired at a PZIV killing it (and setting it ablaze).  He then fired IF at the PZIV adjacent and only managed to Shock it.   In return fire a Panther knocked it out.  A 60mm mortar (on the left) managed to Immob another PZIV (Germans now down to 4 Tanks, one of which is Shocked).  The Malfed gun was repaired!  It opens up on the Immobilized PZIV but scores no hits.

So turn 1 ends with 3 destroyed PZIVs, a Panther gone, and one PZIV shocked.

 

But Also a dead M10.

Photo said it was an M10, looks more like a Sherman.

 

End of German turn 2.  Germans move out, the US 9-2 kill stack (HMG and MMG) DM some riders and the tank moves on.  The Guns in the middle (in a building) fire like crazy and both make IF shots (side shot at a Panther, had to try!), one Malfs and the other boxcars and goes poof!

End of US turn 2.  The 9-2 kill stack Stuns a German Halftrack and breaks the riders.  The previously shocked PZIV lives and breaks his gun.  A US squad in the middle building and the now gun-less crew jump the Panther next to them.  They do not manage to knock out the Panther but the Panther's close defense weapon does not hurt them either.

End of German turn 3 (and the game).  The German player moves forward, the US troops focus on taking out German infantry and manage to break or Pin a number of them, the US 57L takes a long shot at a PZIV moving across the board but the LOS is not clear!  Rolled a 1,2 to hit too...  At this point the German player counts up the 5 turns left in the game, the fact there is only 3 Squad Equivalents near the objectives, and that they have 22 buildings to capture in 5 turns with roughly the entire US Infantry force still kicking and concedes the game.

My guess is that the new scenario is balanced BUT it is very much a guessing game.  If the Germans enters where the US tank defenses are lighter they have a good chance of winning, if they choose the side where the defense are stronger (like this one) then they have a good chance of losing.  IMO this happens a good bit with scenarios featuring guns and ASL maps and their goodly amount of LOS blocking terrain.  Compound that with the need to get side shots in order to kill Panthers (or get lucky with the APCR roll, and needing a 6 or less means it can be nothing but luck).  At any rate it was a heck of a lot more fun since the last time I played this scenario (the old version) where I was beaten soundly in no time.  I was a noob with Armor back then (and I'm not claiming to be any genius now mind you) that made it even worse. 

Next week we are giving BFP 22 Speed Over Caution a try, so many scenarios to play and I'm not getting younger.  Tank goodness for VASL!