ASL Scenario FT60: Bloody Brothers

Played this two weeks ago With Tycho.  I was the Partisans and I STUNK!  BAD!

Notes - don't charge into the open with Partisans, they will never rally.

I had to take two of the circles buildings to win and thought I would try a bum rush.  Bad idea.

The American Civil War (From Strategy and Tactics 310)

Played the American Civil War today.  Or rather Lawrence and I POURED over the deceptively short but frustrating rules to the game...

The setup for the game.  The bottom of the picture is the North.  The blue counter near the bottom left is Washington DC.  Florida is at the top left.

At the end of 5(!) hours we completed game turn 1 and the first activation of game turn 2.  While trying to figure out how naval invasion worked we saw a line covering the bridge to DC...

I really really wanted to find a good one map game on the Civil War that was hex based.  This game might be it but it has issues.  First up is the map itself.  It looks fine, really nice actually but there are usability problems.  First off Kentucky should be outlined more prominently since violating Kentucky neutrality is a big deal and the state border lines really blend in to the background.  Second is the Resource spaces, it would be much more useful to have them labelled in some way on the map instead of a handout.  The first thing we did was put colored stickers on each reinforcement grouping to show where the different ones were.  That alone (and finding the listing) took us an hour.  Second up was the very first activation - which was to cross the bridge and attack Washington.  Fine, but we did not see any rule saying how to handle it.  Since the Bridge blocked ZOC it was possible for the CSA (who won initiative) to gather forces and march right in.  So our next rules dive was looking for something to say that was not right.  We looked and looked and looked but found nothing so the attack goes in and whammo DC is taken first thing.  We played out some more of the game, the reaction and costs for entering/exiting ZOC are kinda interesting and add good flavor.  Finally we get to turn two when the US can do a naval invasion (having Naval Transport Builds available).  We read the rules for a naval assault and THERE is the rule that states attacking across a bridge is treated as an amphibious assault!  Is my opponent and I the only ones who would not even dream of thinking to look at the amphibious assault rules to cover how a bridge is handled?  Between that and figuring out the US had two more reinforcement points to bring on the first turn (and that I freely admit was my reading the rules wrong - not any kind of complaint) we called the game a learning game and stopped play.

There really is some interesting bits to this game but the flaws made it a frustrating experience.  Things I think would have REALLY helped.
1 - Bridges being an Amphibious assault should be noted on the TEC.

2 - ANY time division is done how to handle fractions should be explicitly stated.  As an example, the US losses each turn are replaced at a ratio of 1 replacement per three losses.  It is not stated how fractions are handled so I assume they were ignored.

3 - Kentucky needs to be outlines more boldly.

4 - CSA resource groups need to be shown graphically, not just the resource symbol.

5 - EXAMPLES (D*mn it).  The combat system could really use a worked example. 

Advanced Squad Leader Action Pack 128 Flight of Fancy (Round 2)

Got in a second playing of this scenario after messing up the VC last game.  This time I made all new mistakes!

The setup once again.  Circled buildings are worth 1VP if the Brits control them at the end while the Germans get exit VP for good order non-crew MMC south of the river - everyone starts north of it.

End of the UK turn 1.  There was not much shooting and what there was we No Effect.

The Brit 8-1 stack with MMG opens up and breaks a concealed squad and pins the other concealed squad.  Not a good start!

End of German turn 1.  No damage done to the UK and things are not looking great.  I had to move the HMG stack up to keep the Brits from getting across the street.  Concealed in a Stone building with an 8-1 leader should hold them up a turn.

The 8-1 and MMG fireagain and DM my leader and HMG squad.  NOT looking good!

End of Brit turn 2.  The German defense has nearly collapsed.

German turn 2 and the 447 rolls snakes on an 8+3 shot, so it becomes a 4+3 and an MC!  Brit rolls snakes and creates a hero!   Looks like it is going to be a short and painful game.

Continuing on something finally goes my way!  The small AA gun opens up and breaks a squad in the street and pins another in the building.  At this point I take what I can get...

End of German turn 2 (and start of Brit turn 3).  My DM guys who entered in the turn 2 rout phase managed to have 2 guys rally.  Not bad for DM second line troops.  Not bad at all.  The main line of defense is still a shattered wreck.

British turn 3.  My sniper wakes up and kills the UK leader in charge of the front line.  The LLMC also breaks the squad with him.  I was whining just before that when a whole bunch of defensive fire did squat.

End of UK turn 3.  The hero created earlier jumped into CC with a squad, probably not a good idea but the hero managed to CR the squad before dying.

End of German turn 3.  My turn to jump in CC (with a squad that was encircled upstairs in the VC building) and died without hurting the enemy squad - even worse on a roll of snakes he creates ANOTHER 8-01 leader!  All of my remaining broken guys that entered last turn manage to rally and make a run for the bridge.  My tanks come on and take up positions to slow the coming Brits.

End of UK turn 4.  The UK reinforcements arrive and I get lucky on the left.  On the right it is easy come easy go for British 8-1 leaders.  My sniper popped up again and killed him.  The squad with this one also fails the LLMC leaving a shattered German defense to face a shattered British offense.  Still a LOT of Brits there but they have a LOT of terrain capture.

End of German turn 4 and I make a run for the south bank of the river.  The Brits might have gotten a shot at them if he had moved his guys one hex down (on the right) instead of one hex up.  On the left I pulled a sneaky move out of my bag of tricks (admittedly a very small bag) and moved my PZIV into the hex with the UK tank that was guarding the road to the river.  With my tank in the hex (left in motion) he could not shoot out...

After thinking I was brilliant I then flubbed with my second tank.  It should have been moved where it could guard against the UK tank moving one hex and shooting at my exposed infantry on the bridge road!  Luckily I had a lot of fausts and 3 squads and a leader to roll them up.  With a 50% of having one and then a hit on a 6 or less (7 for large?) I should get a hit or two.  7 attempts, not hits, two pin results.

DOUBLE AAUGH!!!

My opponent made a mistake this time and moved one more hex (probably should have stopped by a couple hexes and BFF first - like I should have moving into his hex earlier I guess).  My next attempt at a faust comes up good and a hit brews up the British tank.  Now we have a nice Smoke Screen covering us in addition to nobody being in range to hit us now.  With this the game was called.  The Germans would have 12vp south of the river and the Brits only held a single VP at this point.  To win they would have to end up in control of more VC buildings then good order German MMC existed on the south side of the river - with only two turns left to go and a LONG distance between the Brits and the south end of the river.

A fun scenario.  For the defender it is a choice of when and how much to send south of the river, it is nearly impossible to hold all the buildings so sending someone is a requirement, I was very lucky all of my broken reinforcements rallied in time for me to race them all south of the bridge.  I was going to go with whatever was available in any case.  I was positive I had lost it when I didn't properly cover my troops crossing the bridge.  Then my opponent made the mistake of getting into Faust range instead of hanging back and BFFing the Germans.  A 2 FP shot with the MGs might have broken some of the front guys and left the second guys to run through an acquisition to reach the south of the river (and another MG shot at full strength).  He had tank riders too, a turn of the turret could get them off the tank and if they passed the MC perhaps had fired as well.  Of course that is not something I would think of in the game. 

Advanced Squad Leader Action Pack 128 Flight of Fancy

Played AP 128 yesterday.  Looks to be an interesting scenario and we will be playing it again on the 22nd.  More of that below...

Here is the map layout.  The Brits get 1VP for each circled building they control at game end (6.5 turns).  They do not have a large advantage in numbers (and none at all considering the Germans have two guns) but the German ELR of 2 and second line troops are a hindrance for them.  The Germans can also get VP for MMC south of the river - but they have to move there since they all start North of it.

First Blood to the Germans!

End of UK turn 1.  Not much ground gained.

And the end of German turn 1.  Most notable for both of the Germans to break also ELR.

End of German turn 3.  The German tanks move into position to block the incoming UK armor.

And through my bad directional sense of East/West I setup in the wrong position...

The UK run right across the board and capture another building to boot.

To further mess up the scenario I read the VC wrong and though they UK got points for each building location instead of just each multi location stone building.  While trying to run troops off to the south (I would need at least 3VP to win since the UK had that many but did not look like they would get more) .  The first group pinned and the second group broke (just north of the bridge).  Both of my tanks were taken out by PIATS too.

An interesting scenario and without my messing up the instructions would have been a much tighter game.  I asked for a do-over and so we will be playing it again in two weeks.

Midway: Coral Sea Variant

Got together with Lawrence to play the Coral Sea variant for Avalon Hill's original Midway game.  We flipped a coin and Lawrence got the Japanese and I the US.

The US setup.  All the land based air was at Port Moresby.  The Japanese had all or most of their air at Rabaul along with the AP ships.  The carriers were somewhere nearby.

First turn the Japanese attack PM (Moresby) with all of their aircraft and the US attacks the APs with Torpedo, Dive, and B17 bombers from Moresby.  Two APs are sunk and minor damage is done the PM.

A few turn later (after bombers are re-armed, all Torpedo and Dive bombers attacking the APs were sunk) a second raid is made on the APs.  No AP ship was lost and most of the Bombers were lost to cap and AA fire.  Another attack is made on a scouting Japanese CL and the ship is easily destroyed.

No more pictures after this.  The second day the US and Japanese fleets spot each other at the same time and in range of each other.  The Japanese strike on the US sinks the Yorktown instead of the Lexington and sinks another CA as well.  The US strike sinks 2 more Japanese APs leaving one left. The remaining AP managed to unload at Henderson for 5 Japanese VP.  The US and Japanese fleets retire at that point leaving the Japanese with the win.

A fun, relatively quick playing game, we started setting up around 11 and finished by 5, but with a couple of rules holes involving fractions and how to handle them.  I would like to try the Smithsonian versions of the game and give the Flat Top version another try again as well.  The Smithsonian version would be a shorter game with 4 hour turns while the Flat Top game is much longer and more complex with hourly turns and more book keeping.

Next month it is back to the Civil War with a GCACW game over Vassal most likely.

ASL Action Pack scenario 127: The First Virtue

Played ASL Action Pack scenario 127 last Saturday (the 20th).  Since the VASL die roller was smiling upon me I had a blast.  I don't see how Tycho could stand it.

The Setup.  The Free French have to get 12VP to win.  They get normal exit VP in the shown area, 4VP if the take out the gun at the bottom of the map, and 1vp for each level 3 hill hex in the shown area.  With 7 turns to do it in it sounds plausible but the amount of open LOS in this scenario is misleading, the guys on the hill in the entrenchment have LOS to pretty much everywhere.

First Blood!  After letting half squad scouts go by unmolested the Germans open first on the first squad they see and break it.

Second Blood!  The VASL die roller grants me a 3 which kills this squad outright.

End of French Turn 1.  A couple more guys at the top of the map were DM'd by fire from the northern trench.

The French get a hit back on the Germans.  An MC of snakes and HOB causest the leader to lose a level from 80 to 70, ANOTHER snakes Battle Hardens the 468 squad.  

End of German turn 1.  Knowing that the FT has not been revealed yet the Germans fall back to not give him a shot without revealing himself next turn.

End of French Turn 2.  Only really notable thing was the Gun firing a single round and breaking a French Squad moving onto the hill.  And the 70 leader rolling snakes and rallying himself and the squad with him too - down for less then a turn. 

The "Machine" gun fires four times...

End of German turn 2.

French turn 3 and the "Machine" Gun blazes again.  Only stopped firing when it ran out of targets...

End of French turn 3.  The Fanatic MG squad has taken every shot the French fired at it without a scratch.  In return the Squad has managed to break a couple French squads and their fire groups.

End of German turn 3 and the game.  The Fanatic MG fired at the FT guy and broke him, the LMG got rate and fired at the squad next to them breaking those as well.  At this point the French called it.  Their casualties (off to the left) combined with German reinforcements entering next turn (right were the French need to exit) combined to make it near impossible to win this one.  Perhaps if the Germans started rolling all boxcars (instead of lower then 7 nearly always) they could get the exit VP off the board.

Next up will be AP 128 where I'll be the Germans once again, defending against Brits this time.  My first game of ASL in a couple of months and only my second in about a year but...

Midway!

Got in two games of Midway today. 

That is it for the pictures - the game moves quickly and I just forgot.

First game the US got pasted by a Japanese airstrike - second game the US got pasted, not as badly, by a Japanese airstrike.  How does the US win this game?

Lots of fun and it was interesting to see how game design has changed over the years (decades!).  The desire to "simplify" by using areas actually makes some things a little more opaque then it would be otherwise and the combat resolution using odds ratio is truly baffling if you try and make realistic sense out of it.  It works overall however and that is what matters.  Next time out will be the Coral Sea variant of the game.  Looking forward to that.