Goon vs. Goon - Bolt Action Stalingrad Megagame (SovietThread)

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Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

PLEASE DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD UNLESS YOU ARE PART OF THE SOVIET TEAM FOR THIS GAME! THE SPECTATOR THREAD IS HERE, WHERE YOU CAN POST TO YOUR HEART'S DELIGHT :siren:

Welcome to the Soviet thread. Please read this post. The second post will be reference material, which you can read or ignore. The third post where will be your force selection which you will want to look at and start discussing what to take with your teammates.

GAME RULES

If you are participating in the game you will be restricted to viewing/posting in this thread only for the duration of the game. There is no fog-of-war, however you are not allowed to see what the enemy may be planning/discussing in their thread or in the spectator thread. Spectators can freely read any of the threads but are asked to please contain their cheering/jeering in the spectator thread.
Please keep game discussion confined to this thread only. I know roll20/discord can be helpful but it deprives spectators of a chance to see what you�re planning, makes it harder for me to keep tabs on things, and excludes players who aren�t able to be online frequently.
If you do not post your orders within the allotted time I will relieve you of command and give your forces to another player on your team. If you know ahead of time you won�t be able to post your orders in time you may temporarily give command to another player on your team and then retake command in later turns.
DO NOT micromanage your teammates. Giving general advice is ok, however your teammates units belong to them and they should decide how to order them around. If I find you giving detailed descriptions of how someone else should use their units I will step in.

POSTING ORDERS:

Please begin each post for orders with your Platoon # or name so I can easily determine who you�re in command of.
Once a turn is posted you will have 48 hours to post your orders. If you still have not posted orders after time is up I will relieve you of command and give one of your teammates command of your units.
Remember that activations take place semi-randomly, so you will need to anticipate that the nearby enemy units may activate before you do and plan accordingly.
The more specific your orders are the more likely it will be that I will be able to figure out what you want. Ex: �Put the AT gun into AMBUSH and only fire at enemy vehicles that come into range that the AT gun can penetrate.� Feel free to use MS Paint or other images to show me what you're intending to do.
I am allowing one one alternate order per unit. Ex: �FIRE at the closest enemy. If no enemy is visible instead RUN into the two-story building to the south.�

GAME BASICS

TURNS IN BOLT ACTION:
Bolt Action uses a unique activation system. Most wargames use the IGOUGO system where one player does all his actions then turns control over to his opponent who does the same. Bolt Action instead has a semi-random activation system.

Each unit in Bolt Action gets a single Order Dice which is essentially a D6 with the six different orders written on it. All these dice are put into a bag and then drawn one at a time during a turn. When your army has a dice drawn you choose a single unit to activate, place the dice next to it to show it�s activated, then another dice is drawn until the bag is empty. That is the end of one turn.

This can also create situations where several of your units get to act in a row and you can�t always be sure when you�re going to get to make your next move. Sometimes waiting until your opponent has activated to make your move is optional. Other times going first can be a huge advantage.

For our purposes we will be using one dice for each PLAYER instead of each unit since we are going to be playing fairly large games. When a dice for your team is drawn I will consult the activation order your team came up with that turn and activate all the units for the next player on that list.

ORDERS IN BOLT ACTION
There are only six possible Orders to give a unit in Bolt Action and each unit can only be given a single Order each turn. Units automatically perform their assigned orders unless they have pins. If they have pins they must perform an Order Test to see if they complete the order. Passing an Order Test automatically removes 1 pin. If they fail the order check they instead go DOWN. There are six possible orders you can give:

DOWN: For non-vehicles this basically means hitting the dirt, taking cover, and doing nothing else. This gives anyone shooting at you a -2 to hit you and it combines with cover. This order does not require an order test, meaning you can always go DOWN even if you have a bunch of pins. Vehicles and other unit types can go DOWN which normally means they just do nothing that turn.
ADVANCE: The unit makes a move up to its regular movement speed (6" for infantry, 9" for vehicles) and then may fire its weapons with a -1 penalty to hit. You must move, then fire. You can�t fire then move. Units with the Fixed rule such as artillery/medium machine-guns/mortars use ADVANCE to rotate up to 90 degrees and then can fire.
RUN: The unit moves up to double its regular movement speed but may not fire. If moving within 1� of an enemy unit it initiates an Assault and that is resolved immediately.
FIRE: The unit fires its weapons at an enemy unit, but may not move. Generally all weapons within a unit must fire at the same target. This order also allows spotters and forward observers to call in fire on a unit they can see.
RALLY: This order is used to remove pins from a unit. Order Tests to perform this Order are taken at the units default morale and ignore any accumulated pins. If successful the unit removes D6+1 pins, but does nothing else.
AMBUSH: This is essentially an overwatch order. The unit stays put and waits for an enemy to move within their line of sight. If an enemy unit either ADVANCES or RUNS within the units line-of-sight then the unit triggers their AMBUSH and opens fire on the enemy unit. Unless you specify what/when you want to AMBUSH I will trigger your AMBUSH at the first opportunity. This order can be retained at the end of the turn so that you start the next turn still in AMBUSH.

INDEX
Mission Overview
Turn 1
Turn 2
Turn 3
Turn 4
Turn 5
Turn 6
Turn 7

SOVIET TEAM ROSTER:
Hypnobeard - In command of:
Zuul the Cat- In command of:
Azran- In command of:
Acebuckeye13 - In command of:
Thatbastardken - In command of:
Lemniscate Blue - In command of:

MISSION ONE

Mission 1: Spartanovka
Date: August, 1942
Location: Suburbs north of Stalingrad
Background: German mechanized forces have broken through the Soviet defensive line at the Don River and are racing eastward towards the northern suburbs of Stalingrad. With only a scattered array of forces available in Stalingrad itself, Soviet command has placed a small screening force to hold the Germans at Spartanovka until reinforcements can arrive.

Objective: Capture as many of the five key positions with Spartanovka and hold them until the end of the battle (Turn 7). Objectives can be captured by any non-vehicle unit. The map size is 6 feet long by 4 feet wide.

Forces:
Soviets - An eclectic collection of various units - primarily infantry-based with a variety of support weaponry.
Germans - A mechanized force consisting of halftracks, several tanks, and support units. The German force has 25% more points than the Soviets.

Deployment: Soviets will be able to place a quarter of their units on the board before the beginning of the game. All German units (and the remainder of the Soviet units) will enter from their respective board edges on Turn 1. Holding units in reserve will be optional and they will be able to outflank.

Class Warcraft fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Jun 9, 2020

# ? Jun 9, 2020 01:02

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# ? May 2, 2024 16:04

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

REFERENCE INFORMATION
You don't have to read all this if you don't want to, but it might help you understand more of what is happening. During turns I will do my best to explain how each action is shaking out and why.

HOUSE RULES
The following deviations from normal Bolt Action v2 rules are in effect for this game:

The Tiger Fear National Rule for Germans is not in effect. Instead, Germans will receive a discount on purchasing vehicles with heavy or super-heavy AT guns.
Smoke rounds that do not land on target with scatter 2D6 randomly, rather than having an opponent place them
All infantry units will be automatically equipped with Improvised AT grenades to represent Molotov Cocktails or grenade bundles thrown at enemy vehicles. This will allow them to deal Superficial damage to enemy tanks in an assault.

SOVIET NATIONAL RULES

The Great Patriotic War - When a non-vehicle unit fails a morale check and would be destroyed reroll the test and apply the second result.
Quantity has a Quality of Its Own - Soviet forces get a free Inexperienced 12-man rifle squad. This is already included in your force.
Not One Step Back! - If a friendly unit with 6" of a Commissar fails an Order Test remove one model and reroll the test.
Massed Batteries - Soviet off-map artillery barrages take the highest of two dice when rolling to see the impact radius (normally D6+6")

TERRAIN

Impassable Terrain - Stuff you can�t move into. Mostly likely impassable terrain we will encounter are rivers, destroyed vehicles, and buildings that are currently on fire.
Rough Ground - Terrain that is slow or difficult to move through such as deep snow, swamps, forests, or ruins. Infantry and tracked vehicles (such as tanks) can move through Rough Ground at an ADVANCE only. They cannot RUN through. Wheeled vehicles and artillery cannot enter Rough Ground unless they start the game in it, in which case they cannot move for the duration of the game.
Obstacles - Small linear terrain pieces that units would have to clamber over or through such as hedges, walls, ditches, etc. Follows the same rules as Rough Ground except tracked vehicles can oftentimes just plow through them unless they�re dragons teeth or some other anti-tank obstacle.
Buildings - Only infantry and non-artillery teams are allowed to enter buildings. They must do so at a RUN. Artillery can be deployed in/atop appropriate buildings but cannot move for the rest of the game. Buildings provide hard cover and additional protection for occupants, but is vulnerable to high explosives. Buildings CAN be destroyed by sufficiently strong HE rounds or set on fire with flamethrowers.
Roads - Vehicles move at twice their normal movement rate when ADVANCING or RUNNING entirely along roads.
Light Cover = -1 to enemy shooting. These are typically things that obscure but might not stop enemy fire such as bushes or wooden fences.
Heavy Cover = -2 to enemy shooting. This is any terrain that could stop incoming small arms fire such as: trees, stone walls, buildings, sandbags, a trench, etc

TROOP QUALITY
All units are assigned a quality level: Inexperienced, Regulars, or Veterans. Their Morale Value is what the number they need to roll under on 2D6 to pass Order checks when pinned or pass Morale checks.

Inexperienced troops represent generally untrained or poorly-trained troops such as conscripts.
Morale Value = 8
Enemy needs to roll 3+ to kill
Permanent -1 to hit when shooting
Regulars represent troops that are trained and combat-ready.
Morale Value = 9
Enemy needs to roll 4+ to kill
Veterans represent elite units or units with substantial combat experience.
Morale Value = 10
Enemy needs to roll 5+ to kill

SHOOTING
Units normally hit on a 3+ but there are modifiers you should be aware of:

Here are the weapon characteristics. HE weapons use a blast template to determine the number of hits, unless they are firing at a building in which case they do XD6 number of hits.

SHOOTING VEHICLES
To damage vehicles you use the Penetration Value of your weapon and add D6 to determine your total penetration. If it meets or exceeds the Armor Value of the vehicle you then roll on the damage chart to see what effect it has. Please note that it is possible to put pins on Inexperienced and Regular vehicles using Heavy Weapons, even if they cannot penetrate. Small arms will not, however.

ASSAULTING
When you RUN within 1� of an enemy unit an assault is resolved. Assaults are when units use small-arms, grenades, and melee weapons to dislodge an enemy unit at close-range. Before moving into Assault the unit being assaulted can perform Defensive Fire if they have not acted yet that turn and the enemy starts their run from more than 6" away. Essentially they get a free round of shooting at the point in which the enemy unit becomes visible, before the assault commences.

In assaults there is no rolling to hit, instead each side simply rolls to wound the other side. Normally the assaulting party goes first, then the defenders, unless the defenders were behind cover when assaulted, in which case both sides go simultaneously. Each side removes casualties caused by the enemy. The unit that lost more casualties is then completely destroyed (either captured, killed, or fled) and the victorious unit can make a 1D6� consolidation move.

ASSAULTING VEHICLES
This works the same as for other units except the vehicle cannot fight back in close combat. It may, however, use Defensive Fire to ward off attackers on the way in.

UNIT SPECIAL RULES

Fanatics: Fanatics never need to test for losing half their unit from enemy fire so long as they have at least two men remaining in the unit. Furthermore, if defeated in close combat Fanatics will not be destroyed, but instead an additional round of close combat will be played until the Fanatics either win, or are all killed.
Green: Green units are inexperienced except, after taking their first casualty they test to see if they upgrade to Regulars. On 1 the unit takes an extra D6 pins. On a 5 or 6 the unit upgrades to Regular for the remainder of the game.
Tough Fighters: All weapons with the Assault rule confer Tough Fighters on models equipped with them (such as SMGs and pistols). When this model inflicts a casualty in close combat they get one bonus attack. Bonus attacks do not generate additional attacks.
Stubborn: This unit ignores pins for taking morale tests.

Class Warcraft fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Jun 9, 2020

# ? Jun 9, 2020 01:02

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

FORCE SELECTION

Here you will build you force to defend Spartanovka. Unless otherwise stated each soldiers is armed with a rifle. Keep in mind you will be able to deploy 25% of your force on the map as a delaying force before the beginning of the game. The remainder will enter the board on Turn 1 from your board edge.

The Default Force is what you will start with. From here you will need to decide amongst yourselves which option you'd like for each category. You will also decide amongst yourselves who will command which units. Each player should command between 2-6 units.

Default Force - This is the foundation of your force that you will build upon.

x2 HQ (Regular) - 1st Lieutenant & assistant armed with pistol and rifle
x12 Rifle Squad (Inexperienced) - All armed with Rifles
x10 LMG Squad (Regular) - One LMG, rest armed with rifles
x10 LMG Squad (Regular) - One LMG, rest armed with rifles

Company Command - Choose one of the two options:

Option A: Artillery Support

x2 Captain with assistant (Regular) - Armed with pistols
x2 Medics (Regular) - Two Medics
x2 Forward Artillery Observer (Regular) - Two man team, armed with rifle and pistol - can call in an artillery strike

Option B: Fire Support
[PICTURE LOST - Pretty much the picture above but with a sniper and Maxim machinegun]
x2 Captain with assistant (Regular) - Armed with pistols
x2 Medics (Regular) - Two Medics
x1 Medium Machine Gun (Regular) - Team carting around a Maxim machine gun
x2 Sniper Team (Regular) - Two man sniper team armed with Sniper rifle and rifle

Specialist Infantry - Choose one of the two options:

Option C: Assault Engineers

*
*Panzerfaust not included
x8 Assault Engineers (Vets) - Five SMGs, One LMG, One Flamethrower. Equipped with Body Armor.
x1 Medium Machine Gun (Vets) - Medium machine gun team manned by Assault Engineers with body armor.

Option D: Recon Team

x7 Scout Squad (Vets) - Five SMGs, can start the game outside of the normal deployment zone
x1 BA-10 Armored Car (Regular) - Equipped with light AT gun, coaxial LMG, and hull-mounted LMG

Additional Infantry - Choose one of the two options:

Option E: NVKD

x10 NKVD Squad (Regular) - All armed with SMGs. Fanatics.
x2 Commissar with assistant (Inexperienced) - Armed with pistol and SMG
x10 Student Officer Squad (Inexperienced) - One SMG, 1 LMG, Green, Fanatics

Option F: Veterans

x10 Veteran SMG Squad (Vets) - Ten SMGs
x10 Veteran Squad (Vets) - One LMG, Tough Fighters

Fire Support - Choose one of the two options:

Option G: Heavy Mortar

x1 Heavy Mortar w/spotter (Regular) - Heavy mortars can demolish buildings
x2 AT Rifle Team (Regular) - Two man team equipped with AT rifle and rifle
x2 AT Rifle Team (Regular) - Two man team equipped with AT rifle and rifle
x1 Truck (Regular) - Soft-skinned. Can transport 12 men or two all but heavy guns

Option H: Heavy AT

x1 Medium Mortar w/spotter (Regular) - Medium mortar team
x1 ZIS-3 AT Gun (Regular) - Medium AT gun - can also fire HE shells over open sights
x1 Truck (Regular) - Soft-skinned. Can transport 12 men or two all but heavy guns

Armor Support - Choose one of the two options:

Option I: Rocket Artillery

x1 T-60 Light Tank (Regular) - Equipped with Light autocannon and coaxial Medium Machine Gun
x1 Katyusha Mobile Rocket Launcher (Regular) - Soft-skinned. Can fire rocket barrages

Option J: T-34

x1 T-34/76 Medium Tank (Regular) - Equipped with Medium AT gun, coaxial MMG, and hull-mounted MMG

DECIDE!

Class Warcraft fucked around with this message at 06:08 on Jun 11, 2020

# ? Jun 9, 2020 01:13

Zuul the Cat: Dec 24, 2006; Grimey Drawer

Greetings, GLORIOUS COMRADES!

I think we should take the following:
Company Command - Option A: Artillery Support. Soviets get the massed batteries rule, so we should take advantage of that and collapse some buildings.
Specialist Infantry - Option D: Recon Team. The armored car & scouts will give us some mobile fire support. Plus the light AT guns can actually be decent at knocking some stuff out.
Additional Infantry - Option F: Veterans. I think having 20 veteran infantry on the board will be great for holding objectives.
Fire Support - Option H: Heavy AT. The fascist pigs will most likely bring heavy tanks. We'll need something to knock them out. Also, the ZiS-3 can act as a mortar, so that's a benefit.
Armor Support - Option I: Rocket Artillery. This option has the Katyusha. If you don't know, Katyusha rockets are awesome.

Give me your input!

# ? Jun 9, 2020 01:38

Azran: Sep 3, 2012; And what should one do to be remembered?

Zuul the Cat posted:

Greetings, GLORIOUS COMRADES!

I think we should take the following:
Company Command - Option A: Artillery Support. Soviets get the massed batteries rule, so we should take advantage of that and collapse some buildings.
Specialist Infantry - Option D: Recon Team. The armored car & scouts will give us some mobile fire support. Plus the light AT guns can actually be decent at knocking some stuff out.
Additional Infantry - Option F: Veterans. I think having 20 veteran infantry on the board will be great for holding objectives.
Fire Support - Option H: Heavy AT. The fascist pigs will most likely bring heavy tanks. We'll need something to knock them out. Also, the ZiS-3 can act as a mortar, so that's a benefit.
Armor Support - Option I: Rocket Artillery. This option has the Katyusha. If you don't know, Katyusha rockets are awesome.

Give me your input!

I pretty much agree with everything here, even if it pains me to leave behind a T-34. Does the Katyusha benefit from us having an observer?

# ? Jun 9, 2020 02:20

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Azran posted:

I pretty much agree with everything here, even if it pains me to leave behind a T-34. Does the Katyusha benefit from us having an observer?

Unfortunately not. In Bolt Action rocket launchers have to have line-of-sight to their target. The good news is the blast radius hits any other units within 6" of the target unit so you can potentially hit quite a large amount of the enemy if they're close together.

# ? Jun 9, 2020 04:40

Hypnobeard: Sep 15, 2004; Obey the Beard

Class Warcraft posted:

Unfortunately not. In Bolt Action rocket launchers have to have line-of-sight to their target. The good news is the blast radius hits any other units within 6" of the target unit so you can potentially hit quite a large amount of the enemy if they're close together.

I... what? That's just :psyduck:

How effective are the Katyushas against armored vehicles?

Zuul the Cat posted:

Greetings, GLORIOUS COMRADES!

I think we should take the following:
Company Command - Option A: Artillery Support. Soviets get the massed batteries rule, so we should take advantage of that and collapse some buildings.
Specialist Infantry - Option D: Recon Team. The armored car & scouts will give us some mobile fire support. Plus the light AT guns can actually be decent at knocking some stuff out.
Additional Infantry - Option F: Veterans. I think having 20 veteran infantry on the board will be great for holding objectives.
Fire Support - Option H: Heavy AT. The fascist pigs will most likely bring heavy tanks. We'll need something to knock them out. Also, the ZiS-3 can act as a mortar, so that's a benefit.
Armor Support - Option I: Rocket Artillery. This option has the Katyusha. If you don't know, Katyusha rockets are awesome.

Give me your input!

I'm good with this, generally, though I have a feeling the Katyusha's going to be hilariously ineffective.

За Родину!

# ? Jun 9, 2020 04:56

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

Zuul the Cat posted:

Greetings, GLORIOUS COMRADES!

I think we should take the following:
Company Command - Option A: Artillery Support. Soviets get the massed batteries rule, so we should take advantage of that and collapse some buildings.
Specialist Infantry - Option D: Recon Team. The armored car & scouts will give us some mobile fire support. Plus the light AT guns can actually be decent at knocking some stuff out.
Additional Infantry - Option F: Veterans. I think having 20 veteran infantry on the board will be great for holding objectives.
Fire Support - Option H: Heavy AT. The fascist pigs will most likely bring heavy tanks. We'll need something to knock them out. Also, the ZiS-3 can act as a mortar, so that's a benefit.
Armor Support - Option I: Rocket Artillery. This option has the Katyusha. If you don't know, Katyusha rockets are awesome.

Give me your input!

These all seem like solid choices, comrade. I'd love to bring the flamethrower team but they would be more useful in an offensive that a holding action.

As a possible alternative, we could take Options G and J - the anti-tank rifles should work against soft-skinned half-tracks and scout cars, while the T-34 can handle heavier armor. If our enemy is going to be heavily mechanized having a maximum number of anti armor weapons would seem to be a good strategy.

# ? Jun 9, 2020 04:59

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

Hypnobeard posted:

How effective are the Katyushas against armored vehicles?

yeah how does HE interact with armor in this game?

# ? Jun 9, 2020 05:02

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Hypnobeard posted:

I... what? That's just

How effective are the Katyushas against armored vehicles?

Yeah, I know, it's weird.

thatbastardken posted:

yeah how does HE interact with armor in this game?

Multiple rocket launchers count as a heavy mortar for its stats, so the 3" column. Here is the HE chart where you can see the penetration values of different HE weapons:

The hits column is how many hits it inflicts against units in buildings. HE is the go-to for clearing enemies out of buildings (aside from sending in infantry to clear them out with grenades and bayonets). Big HE guns have an ok chance of penetrating armor, but they're really good at adding tons of pins to units, so they can essentially stun enemy vehicles and make it difficult for them to function.

Basically multiple rocket launchers hit the target unit and anyone within 6" of them on a 1D6 roll of a 6. That doesn't sound like that big of an area, but it's 6" in all directions so that's a 12" diameter circle. This means that when targeting a single unit they're pretty unlikely to hit, but if you can fire on a concentration of enemy units you're likely to get at least one of them and it would use a 3" blast template, with +3 penetration for damage. Indirect fire (so mortars and anything launched) hits the top armor of vehicles, giving an additional +1 to penetrate. Furthermore, hitting an open-topped vehicle with indirect fire adds +1 when rolling on the damage chart for vehicles. If it hits, it means almost certainly death for anyone on foot, a decent chance of penetrating tank armor, and very dangerous for open-topped vehicles. Also, a decent chance of demolishing buildings it hits.

The downside is that the Katyusha is basically just a truck, which means that it can be destroyed by anything more powerful than a machine-gun. Very much a glass-cannon option.

The T-60 is actually not a terrible tank in that autocannons are pretty effective against infantry and can probably disable halftracks. It would not fare well against enemy tanks, however.

T-34 is a T-34. You pretty much know what you're getting there. Solid tank all around.

Class Warcraft fucked around with this message at 06:11 on Jun 9, 2020

# ? Jun 9, 2020 06:05

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

OK then, before we make any final decision on force composition we should work out a preliminary strategy and maybe try to predict what the Germans will bring to the table.

quote:

Germans - A mechanized force consisting of halftracks, several tanks, and support units. The German force has 25% more points than the Soviets.

To me this doesn't sound like they'll be bringing heavy armor like Tigers, and if I was looking at attacking this map I would probably take less armor in exchange for more mounted infantry to contest and capture points. Then I would try to rush forward and take the close objectives with assault infantry, get good positions for my MMGs and other support weapons, and then bring the tanks in to break resistance and allow a final advance to the rear objectives.

Based on those assumptions, I propose we establish our forward defense at objectives Bravo and Echo, which have clear lines of fire down major roads. We allow the enemy to penetrate towardsCharlie and Delta. Maintain a reserve at Alpha to guard against a flank attack. If the enemy can be caught in a pocket they will have difficulty maintaining unit cohesion and morale, and we can concentrate our artillery fire on their trapped units.

Any comments?

# ? Jun 9, 2020 07:06

Lemniscate Blue: Apr 21, 2006; Here we go again.

Здравия желаю, това́рищи!

Total wargame greenhorn here, so correct me if I'm wrong: We can only place 25% of our forces before the battle starts. Is that enough to hold Bravo and Echo while Ze Germans advance, until we can reinforce the two objectives? I wouldn't want to see that 25% get rolled over and lost before we can implement our plan.

If we can, then I like it.

# ? Jun 9, 2020 10:06

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

Lemniscate Blue posted:

Здравия желаю, това́рищи!

Total wargame greenhorn here, so correct me if I'm wrong: We can only place 25% of our forces before the battle starts. Is that enough to hold Bravo and Echo while Ze Germans advance, until we can reinforce the two objectives? I wouldn't want to see that 25% get rolled over and lost before we can implement our plan.

If we can, then I like it.

I honestly don't know - I haven't played Bolt Action at all. I think if we have veteran infantry holed up in strong cover they should be hard to push out, and with enough fire support they might hold long enough for mobile units to reach them? One reason I slightly favor the AT rifles over the larger gun is we can probably deploy them with the infantry and hide them, but again...not sure. Does someone on our team have actual experience?

# ? Jun 9, 2020 10:16

Acebuckeye13: Nov 2, 2010; If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling
1-800-GAMBLER; Ultra Carp

I root for the T-34.

# ? Jun 9, 2020 14:53

Zuul the Cat: Dec 24, 2006; Grimey Drawer

thatbastardken posted:

OK then, before we make any final decision on force composition we should work out a preliminary strategy and maybe try to predict what the Germans will bring to the table.

To me this doesn't sound like they'll be bringing heavy armor like Tigers, and if I was looking at attacking this map I would probably take less armor in exchange for more mounted infantry to contest and capture points. Then I would try to rush forward and take the close objectives with assault infantry, get good positions for my MMGs and other support weapons, and then bring the tanks in to break resistance and allow a final advance to the rear objectives.

Based on those assumptions, I propose we establish our forward defense at objectives Bravo and Echo, which have clear lines of fire down major roads. We allow the enemy to penetrate towardsCharlie and Delta. Maintain a reserve at Alpha to guard against a flank attack. If the enemy can be caught in a pocket they will have difficulty maintaining unit cohesion and morale, and we can concentrate our artillery fire on their trapped units.

Any comments?

I think this is a solid plan.

Regarding the T-34 over the Katyusha, i'm fine with either option. The T-34 is probably the best choice if we want to win. The Katyuhsa, like all rocket barrages, is not very accurate but when it does hit it is a ton of fun.

If we decide to take the 2 AT rifles & the Heavy Mortar then I think we should definitely take the T-34 because we'll need heavy AT.

# ? Jun 9, 2020 16:54

Hypnobeard: Sep 15, 2004; Obey the Beard

I don't think flanking has any game impact directly--it's all about how many Pins a unit has so they're less able to do things.

"Several" tanks probably means 2-3, and we're probably looking at an equal number of halftracks. I agree they're likely to take infantry vice armor, but it's goons so who knows?

thatbastardken posted:

OK then, before we make any final decision on force composition we should work out a preliminary strategy and maybe try to predict what the Germans will bring to the table.

To me this doesn't sound like they'll be bringing heavy armor like Tigers, and if I was looking at attacking this map I would probably take less armor in exchange for more mounted infantry to contest and capture points. Then I would try to rush forward and take the close objectives with assault infantry, get good positions for my MMGs and other support weapons, and then bring the tanks in to break resistance and allow a final advance to the rear objectives.

Based on those assumptions, I propose we establish our forward defense at objectives Bravo and Echo, which have clear lines of fire down major roads. We allow the enemy to penetrate towardsCharlie and Delta. Maintain a reserve at Alpha to guard against a flank attack. If the enemy can be caught in a pocket they will have difficulty maintaining unit cohesion and morale, and we can concentrate our artillery fire on their trapped units.

Any comments?

Thinking about it, we only need to hold 3/5 objectives at the end to win. So, I propose concentrating on Alpha, Bravo, and Delta, with a possible push in early turns to get Charlie--perhaps using a squad to hold it initially to draw attention before falling back to Delta.

I think what we're likely to see from the Germans is a strong dismounted infantry push at Bravo and Charlie, with probably a single tank or assault gun (if those are available) in support. The remainder of the tanks plus whatever mounted infantry will flank from the south (right edge) to try and push Bravo and Delta while we're distracted by the fighting towards the center of the board.

Echo is vulnerable to being assaulted more or less immediately by any flanking force; I expect we'll see a minimal infantry drop over there--maybe a halftrack + mounted infantry to seize the objective.

Class Warcraft:

* What are the flanking rules? Where can they appear, when, etc?

* What are the medic rules?

* What are the artillery rules? How many shots do we get, etc?

Hypnobeard fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Jun 9, 2020

# ? Jun 9, 2020 17:05

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Hypnobeard posted:

Class Warcraft:

* What are the flanking rules? Where can they appear, when, etc?

* What are the medic rules?

* What are the artillery rules? How many shots do we get, etc?

1) units held in reserve can either arrive from your own table edge or be sent outflanking.

If arriving on your table edge they can arrive starting on turn 2 - this can sometimes be a good strategy to keep vulnerable units out of enemy fire until you can ensure it�s safe, or surprise the enemy by suddenly showing up in an unexpected place.

For outflanking a direction has to be chosen before the start of the game. Starting on turn 3 units can arrive up to 24� (so the halfway point) on the side edge closest to your table edge. If they come in on turn 4 they can arrive up to 36� from your table edge, and the entire side edge by turn 5.

Units coming in from reserve have to pass an order test with -1 to their morale each turn to arrive. This means veteran units are more likely to come on when you want them than inexperienced troops.

2) Medics can cancel out wounds from small arms on a 6 from all units within 6�. Usually they�re sent to accompany veteran units and keep them alive. Medics cannot fight except to defend themselves in an assault (they can still be shot at by players willing to break the Geneva convention).

3) artillery observers can only call in a single barrage. The barrage will hit everything 2D6 (take the highest)+6� from the targeting point. Each unit hit by the barrage will roll on a table to see the effect. Most generally take 1-2 pins, but if they take a direct shell it resolves as a heavy howitzer hit which means adios muchachos for those poor bastards. In my experience off-map artillery is more reliable for pinning down an entire section of the map rather than dealing tons of damage.

# ? Jun 9, 2020 18:20

Zuul the Cat: Dec 24, 2006; Grimey Drawer

Hypnobeard posted:

I don't think flanking has any game impact directly--it's all about how many Pins a unit has so they're less able to do things.

"Several" tanks probably means 2-3, and we're probably looking at an equal number of halftracks. I agree they're likely to take infantry vice armor, but it's goons so who knows?

Thinking about it, we only need to hold 3/5 objectives at the end to win. So, I propose concentrating on Alpha, Bravo, and Delta, with a possible push in early turns to get Charlie--perhaps using a squad to hold it initially to draw attention before falling back to Delta.

I think what we're likely to see from the Germans is a strong dismounted infantry push at Bravo and Charlie, with probably a single tank or assault gun (if those are available) in support. The remainder of the tanks plus whatever mounted infantry will flank from the south (right edge) to try and push Bravo and Delta while we're distracted by the fighting towards the center of the board.

Echo is vulnerable to being assaulted more or less immediately by any flanking force; I expect we'll see a minimal infantry drop over there--maybe a halftrack + mounted infantry to seize the objective.

Actually this makes more sense. Lets focus on holding Alpha, Bravo and Delta.

Also I think we've reached a decision to take the T-34 over the Katyusha, correct?

# ? Jun 9, 2020 20:07

Lemniscate Blue: Apr 21, 2006; Here we go again.

I know all the mechanics are being resolved behind the scenes, but for anyone like me who is curious I found this video which has helped put a lot of this in context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLg7jDFfe0E

What's the scale on the map? Could we maybe see a 6" scale bar so we know how far infantry can move?

# ? Jun 9, 2020 21:02

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Lemniscate Blue posted:

I know all the mechanics are being resolved behind the scenes, but for anyone like me who is curious I found this video which has helped put a lot of this in context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLg7jDFfe0E

What's the scale on the map? Could we maybe see a 6" scale bar so we know how far infantry can move?

It's a 6'x4' map, and infantry advance 6" or run 12" per turn. Vehicles advance 9" or run 18", which is doubled on roads. So infantry could run from your deployment edge to your opponents in 4 turns if there is nothing blocking them. Vehicles could nearly cross the map in a single turn if they went flat-out, but they're limited to a couple pivots per turn so the maze of roads would prevent that.

edit: Vehicles could probably travel the entire map diagonally across the main thoroughfare in two turns. I will be uploading more recon pics of the battlefield today with information about the types of terrain you will encounter.

Class Warcraft fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Jun 9, 2020

# ? Jun 9, 2020 21:47

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Hello commanders. Recon flights over Spartanovka have returned with additional intel. Recon shows about a quarter of the town has been leveled by bombardment, but most buildings are still standing. The majority of houses and outbuildings are made of wood, and thus vulnerable to fire. A railway line stops in the Southeast corner of town where several railway cars have been left. Most houses form compounds surrounded by wooden plank fences, which will do little to hide troop movements but should provide a modicum of cover from enemy fire. There are stone fences around some compounds which would make better cover. The ~~church~~ Party Meeting Hall has taken damage to its roof, but is still intact and its many windows give it good avenues of fire in several directions. The tower is intact as well and could hold a small team such as a sniper, observer, or machine-gun nest which would have visibility over the whole town. The groves of trees in the North also present significant cover for forces within it.

Objectives can be captured by any non-vehicle unit moving within 3" of it. Once captured will remain under that team's control for the remainder of the game, unless an enemy unit captures it. Thus, you do not need to park units on objectives to retain control of them.

View from North

View from NorthEast

View from NorthWest

Objective Alpha

Objective Bravo

Objective Charlie

Ojective Delta & Charlie

View from South

View from SouthEast

View from SouthWest

# ? Jun 10, 2020 01:07

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

Yeah I'm on board with holding Alpha, Bravo, and Delta instead. The t-34 is probably the better asset for a defensive game, and if we're not deploying forward I think the Medium AT gun is better than the Heavy Mortar group, especially if we can deploy the AT gun with a view down that long road in the middle.

Class Warcraft, can the medium AT gun fit in a building?

thatbastardken fucked around with this message at 08:39 on Jun 10, 2020

# ? Jun 10, 2020 08:37

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

thatbastardken posted:

Yeah I'm on board with holding Alpha, Bravo, and Delta instead. The t-34 is probably the better asset for a defensive game, and if we're not deploying forward I think the Medium AT gun is better than the Heavy Mortar group, especially if we can deploy the AT gun with a view down that long road in the middle.

Class Warcraft, can the medium AT gun fit in a building?

You'd have to deploy it inside the building during the deployment phase and then it'd be unable to relocate. The ~~church~~ Party Meeting Hall is probably the only building large enough to hold it.

Class Warcraft fucked around with this message at 08:49 on Jun 10, 2020

# ? Jun 10, 2020 08:46

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

Class Warcraft posted:

You'd have to deploy it inside the building during the deployment phase and then it'd be unable to relocate. The ~~church~~ Party Meeting Hall is probably the only building large enough to hold it.

as funny as that would be it's probably vulnerable to getting assaulted in there

# ? Jun 10, 2020 09:01

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

You might try to look for a keyhole position instead. If gun can be placed to block off LOS from directions other than its front arc then you can set it to Ambush and get the first shot off if an enemy tank rolls into view.

# ? Jun 10, 2020 09:07

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

OK then lets consider this:

Default Force (Lt, 2xRifle+LMG, 1xRifle (reserve at Alpha or contest Echo?))
Command Option A (Cpt, 2xMedic, 1xObserver (probably want these guys to get Bravo ASAP)
Specialist Option C (1xAssault Engineers, 1x MMG (These guys start in objective Bravo))
Infantry Option F (1xSMG vets, 1xTough vets (push these guys to Delta early))
Support Option H (1xMedAt, 1xMedMor (The AT gun takes a keyhole position at Delta maybe?))
Armor Option J (1xT-34 (keyhole at Alpha?))

# ? Jun 10, 2020 09:42

Hypnobeard: Sep 15, 2004; Obey the Beard

Can tanks/other vehicles drive over the wooden fences/stone walls?

# ? Jun 10, 2020 12:49

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Tanks would be able to plow through them. Lighter vehicles like trucks or halftracks can knock down the wooden fences but not ones made of stone.

# ? Jun 10, 2020 18:13

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Alright Soviet Team, I'd like to lock in your force selection today so you can start planning your deployment. I think you're all in agreement about these:

Company Command - Option A: Artillery Support.
Specialist Infantry - Option D: Recon Team.
Additional Infantry - Option F: Veterans.
Armor Support - Option J: T-34

Only one I'm not sure where you landed on is the Heavy Mortar & AT rifles vs. the ZIS-3 with Medium Mortar.

# ? Jun 10, 2020 18:43

Zuul the Cat: Dec 24, 2006; Grimey Drawer

Since we're taking the T-34 I think we should go with the Heavy Mortar & AT-Rifles.

# ? Jun 10, 2020 19:48

Hypnobeard: Sep 15, 2004; Obey the Beard

Zuul the Cat posted:

Since we're taking the T-34 I think we should go with the Heavy Mortar & AT-Rifles.

Works for me.

# ? Jun 10, 2020 20:12

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

yeah, that works for me.

# ? Jun 10, 2020 21:38

Azran: Sep 3, 2012; And what should one do to be remembered?

Heavy mortar & AT rifles, yes.

# ? Jun 11, 2020 00:40

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Here is the Soviet force being sent to Spartanovka:

x2 HQ (Regular) - 1st Lieutenant & assistant armed with pistol and rifle
x12 Rifle Squad (Inexperienced) - All armed with Rifles
x10 LMG Squad (Regular) - One LMG, rest armed with rifles
x10 LMG Squad (Regular) - One LMG, rest armed with rifles
x2 Captain with assistant (Regular) - Armed with pistols
x2 Medics (Regular) - Two Medics
x2 Forward Artillery Observer (Regular) - Two man team, armed with rifle and pistol - can call in an artillery strike
x7 Scout Squad (Vets) - Five SMGs, can start the game outside of the normal deployment zone
x1 BA-10 Armored Car (Regular) - Equipped with light AT gun, coaxial LMG, and hull-mounted LMG
x10 Veteran SMG Squad (Vets) - Ten SMGs
x10 Veteran Squad (Vets) - One LMG, Tough Fighters
x1 Heavy Mortar w/spotter (Regular) - Heavy mortars can demolish buildings
x2 AT Rifle Team (Regular) - Two man team equipped with AT rifle and rifle
x2 AT Rifle Team (Regular) - Two man team equipped with AT rifle and rifle
x1 Truck (Regular) - Soft-skinned. Can transport 12 men or two all but heavy guns
x1 T-34/76 Medium Tank (Regular) - Equipped with Medium AT gun, coaxial MMG, and hull-mounted MMG

ASSIGN COMMANDS
The next step is to divvy the units amongst yourselves. There are 16 units and 6 of you, so I suggest 2-3 units per player. There is no need to group them in the same way as I did for your choices. I would suggest assigning them so that players control all the units in a geographic area. So, for example if you're planning on sending the T-34, an infantry squad, and an officer to Objective Charlie, that would be a good force for one player to command.

DEPLOYMENT
After that you will need to decide which 4 units you want to start deployed on the map. Your Scout Squad and Forward Observer have the Forward Deployment ability that allows them to setup closer to the enemy board edge than the rest of your units would be able to. Your mortar spotter can also be set up in the Forward Deployment area and does not count as one of your four units to deploy before game starts.

Here is the deployment map. Forward Deployment units can deploy in either zone. Other units must deploy in the Regular Deployment zone.

# ? Jun 11, 2020 06:24

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

Alpha Command: support units and reserves, it's a good spot for the Heavy Mortar.

Bravo Command: tough close range fighters, we can expect the Germans to try and assault that position.

Charlie Command: contest Charlie even though we aren't intending to hold it, to lure the enemy into a position where our artillery barrage can do the most good.

Delta Command: should probably be where we keep our line infantry group, i think the cover and range situation suits them.

Echo Command: the point is likely to be overrun early and the commander should keep units back to reinforce Delta

Tank Command: the t34 is too important an asset to tie to any given sector, and we need it to be flexible.

I volunteer for Echo Command, I can take the scout squad to forward deploy at Echo without weakening our more important fronts and use the armored car to reinforce Delta. An AT rifle would be nice, but there are probably better place for it.

thatbastardken fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Jun 11, 2020

# ? Jun 11, 2020 06:53

Hypnobeard: Sep 15, 2004; Obey the Beard

Yet another question for Class Warcraft:

Are units able to hide at all? Or will anything we place be immediately visible to the Germans?

# ? Jun 11, 2020 12:26

Zuul the Cat: Dec 24, 2006; Grimey Drawer

I can take command of objective Alpha with the Heavy Mortar. I'd also like to take the inexperienced rifle platoon to combat any flanking and to hold the objective. Lastly, I'd like to take one of the AT rifle squads. I think they could be useful for holding down the road at the northwest part of town that looks straight into the German deployment zone.

# ? Jun 11, 2020 16:19

Class Warcraft: Apr 27, 2006

Hypnobeard posted:

Yet another question for Class Warcraft:

Are units able to hide at all? Or will anything we place be immediately visible to the Germans?

There are rules for hidden units in Bolt Action but they usually represent forces that have gone to a lot of time and effort to prepare their positions to be camouflaged from enemy sight.

Since you guys are rushing to town barely ahead of the Germans that won�t be available this game. Your best way of avoiding enemy fire is to stay in cover and/or use the Down order to further make yourself hard to hit.

The Germans however will not know where you�ve deployed your units while writing their orders for turn 1, so in a sense, at least for the first turn, you�ll have the element of surprise.

# ? Jun 11, 2020 17:09

Hypnobeard: Sep 15, 2004; Obey the Beard

Proposed force split:

code:

[Alpha
  x2 Captain with assistant (Regular) - Armed with pistols
  x2 AT Rifle Team (Regular) - Two man team equipped with AT rifle and rifle
  x10 LMG Squad (Regular) - One LMG, rest armed with rifles
  
Bravo
  x2 AT Rifle Team (Regular) - Two man team equipped with AT rifle and rifle
  x10 Veteran Squad (Vets) - One LMG, Tough Fighters
  x2 Forward Artillery Observer (Regular) - Two man team, armed with rifle and pistol - can call in an artillery strike

Charlie
  x2 Medics (Regular) - Two Medics
  x10 Veteran SMG Squad (Vets) - Ten SMGs
  x12 Rifle Squad (Inexperienced) - All armed with Rifles
    - positioned at Delta to provide backup/cover as the Vets/medics fall back.

Delta
  x2 HQ (Regular) - 1st Lieutenant & assistant armed with pistol and rifle
  x1 Truck (Regular) - Soft-skinned. Can transport 12 men or tow all but heavy guns
  x10 LMG Squad (Regular) - One LMG, rest armed with rifles
  x1 Heavy Mortar w/spotter (Regular) - Heavy mortars can demolish buildings
    - spotter somewhere near Bravo/Charlie

Echo
  x7 Scout Squad (Vets) - Five SMGs, can start the game outside of the normal deployment zone
  x1 BA-10 Armored Car (Regular) - Equipped with light AT gun, coaxial LMG, and hull-mounted LMG

Tank
  x1 T-34/76 Medium Tank (Regular) - Equipped with Medium AT gun, coaxial MMG, and hull-mounted MMG

Initial units:

x2 Forward Artillery Observer (Regular) - in tower of objective Bravo
x7 Scout Squad (Vets) - in woods at Echo
x10 Veteran Squad (Vets) - in woods between Alpha/Bravo
x10 Veteran SMG Squad (Vets) - in house across the street from Charlie
x1 Heavy Mortar spotter (Regular) - spotter in/near Charlie

Other units deploy near their assigned objective.

Do we want to have the vehicles make any flanking maneuvers?

# ? Jun 11, 2020 19:10

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# ? May 2, 2024 16:04

Zuul the Cat: Dec 24, 2006; Grimey Drawer

Hypnobeard posted:

Proposed force split:

code:

[Alpha
  x2 Captain with assistant (Regular) - Armed with pistols
  x2 AT Rifle Team (Regular) - Two man team equipped with AT rifle and rifle
  x10 LMG Squad (Regular) - One LMG, rest armed with rifles
  
Bravo
  x2 AT Rifle Team (Regular) - Two man team equipped with AT rifle and rifle
  x10 Veteran Squad (Vets) - One LMG, Tough Fighters
  x2 Forward Artillery Observer (Regular) - Two man team, armed with rifle and pistol - can call in an artillery strike

Charlie
  x2 Medics (Regular) - Two Medics
  x10 Veteran SMG Squad (Vets) - Ten SMGs
  x12 Rifle Squad (Inexperienced) - All armed with Rifles
    - positioned at Delta to provide backup/cover as the Vets/medics fall back.

Delta
  x2 HQ (Regular) - 1st Lieutenant & assistant armed with pistol and rifle
  x1 Truck (Regular) - Soft-skinned. Can transport 12 men or tow all but heavy guns
  x10 LMG Squad (Regular) - One LMG, rest armed with rifles
  x1 Heavy Mortar w/spotter (Regular) - Heavy mortars can demolish buildings
    - spotter somewhere near Bravo/Charlie

Echo
  x7 Scout Squad (Vets) - Five SMGs, can start the game outside of the normal deployment zone
  x1 BA-10 Armored Car (Regular) - Equipped with light AT gun, coaxial LMG, and hull-mounted LMG

Tank
  x1 T-34/76 Medium Tank (Regular) - Equipped with Medium AT gun, coaxial MMG, and hull-mounted MMG

Actually, looking over this again - I think this would be a good force split for a traditional game but not for this play-by-post game. Especially since Class Warcraft wants us to control groups of units rather than splitting our control across the board. For example, having 2 HQs in a single objective area isn't that great for this set up, I think.

That being said, I'll revert back to my original post.

quote:

I can take command of objective Alpha with the Heavy Mortar & spotter. I'd also like to take the inexperienced rifle platoon to combat any flanking and to hold the objective. Lastly, I'd like to take one of the AT rifle squads. I think they could be useful for holding down the road at the northwest part of town that looks straight into the German deployment zone.

Zuul the Cat fucked around with this message at 20:38 on Jun 12, 2020

# ? Jun 12, 2020 19:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > Goon vs. Goon - Bolt Action Stalingrad Megagame (SovietThread)

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