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Does this game feature armor or vehicles of any sort, once we get there of course?
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Jan 21, 2021 07:00
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SoggyBobcat posted:Does this game feature armor or vehicles of any sort, once we get there of course? From the lowly FT-17 and the armored cars and trucks of WW1 to crazy/dumb prototypes such as the Maus!
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Jan 21, 2021 12:01
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TGW-1: Breakout! Location: Near Charleroi, Belgium Date: 25-August-1914 The German Second Army started attacking the French positions held by the Fifth Army around Charleroi on the 21st of August. The French have launched numerous counter attacks with no success. During the night of the 24th, the French high command has sent the retreat order to the Fifth Army, which is in danger of being turned by the German Third Army on its eastern flank. The 129eme Regiment d'Infanterie from Le Havre is on the rearguard of the retreat, and the Germans are following right behind. During its race towards the French lines, the second company of the 129eme RI comes across the remnants of the 2eme Zouave caught up by the Germans and fighting their last stand in an abandoned farm. This sall not be! Two platoons are sent to break through the Germans encircling the farm and help the brave zouaves in their disengagement.  Above is the full map in play. No hexes have been marked due to the Victory Condition being a CVP/Exit type. Victory Conditions The French win if they exit, through the south edge, more VPs than the VP value of the Germans left on the map at the end of the scenario. German Setup/Strategy On the map image above, you'll notice counters that don't look normal. Hypnobeard had some fun and made some custom counters for their units, so the nato symbol units are French. Getting to the setup, this is a very limiting scenario, in that I have to set up units in the woods to the left and right of the farm. The units at the top of the map could set up anywhere between the two grey markers (cropped in the image) but still at the map edge. My men on map 35 must set up on the road, and there's no reason to have them further to the right, in fact they are set up as far left as possible. As for the French, they have a set of units that start within the farm's perimeter, and everyone else lined up to try and break through. They start with a potential 44 EVP (Exit Victory Points) whereas the Germans have 39 CVP in units. It's a very tight game. I think we'll both have comments about it after a winner has been determined, but suffice to say we're both apprehensive of the design or testing of the scenario. That aside, the overall plan is to have both the upper group and the lower group try to flank the enemy. The poor bastards in between the Zouaves (red infantry counters) and the main French line are going to do everything they can to survive and be a nuisance. Ultimately, if they die, it won't matter since there aren't enough points there to seriously affect the end result, and any kill they achieve adds to the pressure Hypnobeard will be feeling as the turns progress. Setting up shop in the building in the upper portion will be nice, provided the French stick around long enough for me to get in some good shots. Otherwise, there's no Support Weapons, so this is a straight up Squad fest where lucky dice and some good planning will go far. Turn 1 - French  Immediately, the Zouaves attack the men blocking them from salvation. Their shots are somewhat successful, breaking a squad of Germans, although a follow-up attack with the second stack with the leader fails to have any effect. Following these shots, the French player quickly declares their Movement Phase. There is a desire for blood, and there's no point in delaying. The Zouaves attempt to declare a bayonet charge, however this is an illegal move, an unfortunate development for Hypnobeard. [There was a misconception that it was a legal move because it is not specifically stated otherwise in the Bayonet Charge rule or the Human Wave rule, however, looking at A3.3 - "The ATTACKER may move any units capable of movement which, during the PFPh neither fired, nor became marked for Opportunity Fire, nor attempted a labor task." Thus, the Zouaves must remain within the farm's perimeter.] But that doesn't mean there wasn't movement to be had elsewhere. The main French line moves up to close the gap. In "The Great War" uh... module, the rules state that units must move using the same mechanics as Platoon Movement. Normally, a unit moves alone or as a "stack", several units in the same group that move together, spending Movement Factors together, as well as receiving any incoming fire as a group. Platoon Movement allows you to move multiple stacks of units. They move in "Impulses", essentially they all move at the same time, attacks can be declared, then they cans top or continue to move in another impulse. Rinse and repeat. The other special mention is that Leaders are even more precious as they are required for actions to not require Task Checks to perform, such as moving or firing.  In the Advance Fire Phase, the French pour more firepower on the encircled Germans, but they show their resolve by standing firm. They know what comes next...  The French send men into the little forest and but the French suffer casualties in the ensuing Close Combat. Turn 1 - German  Due to not having a Leader with them on the right side, each squad has to develop the courage to move out on their own, and subsequently two of the three squads I have fail to move. The third blunders into view of the far-right Zouaves who proceed to break them. There was also a shot in the Prep Fire Phase against some French troops (I believe the Zouaves in the P1 but the shot did zilch. Up top, the board edge reinforcements make the most of their movement to approach the houses nearby. If I choose to settle here, I've got some good lines of sight, albeit at long range for what my men are equipped with.  Men move forward.  Oh, uh... so a Leader and a Squad both break from French fire sent their way. In the ensuing Rout, I have to risk Interdiction to reach the woods in 44O5. Interdiction is where a unit takes a Normal Morale Check (NMC) from moving in open ground while in normal range of an armed enemy unit, and not having any LOS Hindrance. Any unit that fails an NMC is Casualty Reduced (CR). Now, the squad rolled as high as they could to NOT get CR'ed, but that means they pin in the open. This is one of the rare instances where a Broken unit is pinned. The Leader continues, because I'd rather keep him alive. Turn 2 - French  As the French make their way past the first checkpoint, many shots go out to the lone surviving squad in Q3 (both in the Prep Fire Phase and later). Meanwhile, the French commander decides that sending two 3-4-7 squads to advance into the forest a small price to be paid, and half the attacking force breaks when they are shot by the very men they are attempting to storm.  The broken French squad in R2 is forced to surrender to the Germans in Q3. In a surprising twist, Hypnobeard sends their good squad to support the Melee in Q2. The odds being my 4FP vs their 7, I choose to attack a Squad and the Leader for the 1-1 ratio. The melee is a slaughter, with both sides claiming kills. Turn 2 - German At this point its clear the French want to get offboard as fast as possible. During the game, Hypnobeard was a little more vocal about his chances, although still willing to continue with the scenario.  Prep Fire was mainly to shoot at the broken men in 44V3, while the squad in 44Q3 shot at the French in the adjacent woods. Everyone else is on moving duty, with the men up top doing what they can to get to the map edge on the left. In the south, I want the Germans to try to obstruct the French wherever the men up top cannot. My "middle" force has a hard time moving... I can't rely on them anymore.  I did this one slightly wrong, as the squad may not have had to be interdicted. I think the squad that caused it was out of range, whatever, gotta play through it. This does create a problem, however, because now the Guards are a Half-Squad and I'm still running towards the only acceptable location... which has more broken men.  So, uh... this is not something you see often, as far as I know. The CC Phase comes along and the Prisoners are escorted by a broken squad. They are allowed to attempt to escape, and have 1 FP for that purpose [See (1)]. I... only have a leader that can fight back. The Prisoners attack the Guards at a 1-2 ratio (Even broken, defenders still use their normal FP value), whereas the Leader is attacking at a 1-1 ratio. Prisoners always attack first, and...  Not only are the Prisoners successful, killing the Guards, but the Leader shoots enough to reduce them to a Half-Squad. To make matters worse, they get to rearm for having killed a unit of equal size to them. So now there's a French half-squad ready to fight in Melee against a Leader and some desperate men. [There was a mistake here. We'd been so gung-ho for so long on Red CC numbers (the killer kind) that we forgot to not use them here.] Turn 3 - French  Once more, the French focus on moving. I break a squad moving in 44V1, but otherwise the Gew 98s fail to find their mark. Not much else to really say about this turn; the Melee in 44O5 sees no result. Turn 3 - German  Yet another round of shots to harass and movement to contain. The two forward squads in 44Y6 and 44Y7 shoot at 44A0 and manage to break the squad. I was really hoping to get a success with the squad in 44M1, but it failed to give me any result. Both up top and at the bottom, platoons moved to the left, and my grip on the French is growing stronger every turn.  We should've done this last turn. You see, a broken unit MUST attempt to withdraw, and a unit doing that is easier to eliminate, as well as to capture. Luckily for me, the French were not up to the task, and the men escape to the adjacent woods. Turn 4 - French  The French take pot shots from 44Z0 to Z4, but with no result. The Zouaves continue moving in the hopes they can evacuate. The Germans take a shot at the moving units in the woods of 33J1 but only manage to pin them. As we get to the Advance Fire Phase, the French take a chance and shoot at my men in the road at 44BB4 and the ensuing roll is Snake Eyes! A Snake Eyes on a Morale Check forces a Heat of Battle roll. What's Heat of Battle?  Roll low, get cool stuff like a Hero and Battle Hardening (ie: Increasing the quality of a squad). Roll High and go Berserk (Bad) or even Surrender automatically! The reason Berserk is bad is because it almost guarantees that unit will die. And I roll Berserk. Welp, I'm in the lead for points anyways, so I can't say I mind that much. State of the board at the end of Session 1 (bottom group not pictured, but south of the Pinned unit).  To Be Continued...
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Jan 23, 2021 04:08
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Christ I just realized, I really need to make it clear that technically the "South Edge" of the playing area is to the Left of all screenshots. Didn't include the compass' direction in the initial map image. 
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Jan 23, 2021 05:58
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That explains a lot. I was wondering why they kept running in the wrong direction.
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Jan 23, 2021 13:14
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DTurtle posted:That explains a lot. I was wondering why they kept running in the wrong direction. Yeah, thats the one problem with VASL/VASSAL. You can flip a aboard to have it point either left or right, but you cannot rotate boards. This makes it impossible to view a map where North is always Up in these screenshots. Its about the only thing I'd change for the "game" right now. Especially since viewing a board from different directions can really be enlightening when it comes to Line of Sight
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Jan 23, 2021 13:56
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TGW-1 Breakout! Part 2 The French have managed to get a decent way back, but the options so far are to brave the open ground, which has proved to be dangerous, or to go through the grain, which takes more time. With only two more turns to move for the French, time is running out. Can the French side evacuate any of their Zouaves for the moral victory? Turn 4 - German  Opening up the turn is some German attacks against the Half-Squad in 44O4. I don't expect much out of those two squads, in terms of movement, so taking out some French CVP seems like the next best thing. During my movement [black lines], I have a squad break in 44X3. In hindsight I should've gone to Y4 but oh well. The Berserk squad has to move first, and they end up drawing fire from two separate French stacks, but the 10 Morale proves to be too much to overcome, and they make it into the building in X1. The rest of the upper left group moves further to deny more French movement. The bottom group, not pictured, also moves to close the pincer around the French.  Sadly for the bottom group, one of the squads is caught off-guard and breaks as a result.  In the Close Combat Phase, and after an unsuccessful attack in the Advance Fire Phase, the Berserkers attempt to eliminate the broken squad they are now with, but a high roll ends that opportunity. The fighting devolves into a melee.  Back near the farm, a German squad had gone CX, run around the farm and ended in 44N4. Later advancing into the French Half-Squads location (Hypnobeard forgot to make a half-squad counter, thus we marked them as Fanatic). This fight is calculated as the following: Germans are fighting at a 4-1 ratio (the French HS has 1FP) and receives a +1 for fighting while CX. French are fighting at a ratio of 1-8 due to being Pinned and receive a -1 for fighting a CX'ed unit. The French nearly pull off a Hail Mary, but just barely miss out on a CR. Turn 5 - French  The French are solely concerned with getting off-board now, which is looking less and less likely as the turns progress. The large combination of firepower (12+) I can get in certain circumstances is proving valuable, with several more units moving in the grain (35G2) breaking.  End of French turn 5 Turn 5 - German  In my last proper turn, my focus is entirely on shooting and breaking/killing than movement. Sadly, none of my shots find their marks. The Berserks are still lusting for death and destruction, but are Casualty Reduced by the squad in 35J1 and a good roll. The Berserkers are now fighting at a 1-2 ratio as the squad they keep harassing is a full squad (3-4-7) but they are unsuccessful in the CC Phase. Ultimately, a lacklustre last turn for me, where I will try to make up for it during the French turn. Also, importantly, I screwed up slightly with some CX movement on the right side (not shown), where I'm pretty sure I CX'ed a unit two Movement Phases in a row. This is not possible per the last line of A4.51. Turn 6 - French  In the last turn, and with nothing to lose, the French player takes more shots at the encircling Germans. The only results are Pins, none of which really affect the end of the game. The Zouaves (Marked CX) [technically should not have been allowed to CX] move off-board. The SSRs state that the VP gained for a Zouave MMC (Multi-Man Counter) exiting off the map is doubled, so 3 Squads = 6 VP x2 [SSR] = 12 + an 8-1 Leader who is worth 1 VP + 1 for the - DRM he provides. VP Determination French exited 14 VP. Germans have 33 CVP on board. Aftermath posted:The French infantrymen of the 129eme RI charged bravely through the encircling Germans, but they ended also trapped in the farm by the arriving German reinforcements. The French resisted until they were joined at last by a second and more consequent rescue force that arrived just before nightfall.
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Jan 24, 2021 21:50
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Have to say that I'm not a big fan of this one, it really does not allow the French player to make any mistakes. With only a 5 VP difference (44 French vs 39 German), any losses are instantly felt. The German player is also emboldened somewhat due to to VC only comparing vs what the Germans have on the map at the end. Did a squad break? Don't try to rally if you think you'll roll a 12. Depending on how far away they are on the map, or if they are out of command, its less of a concern for the Germans to bother with it. For their opening action(s), I liked Hypnobeard's idea of Bayonet Charging the closest units, and there's room for thought in examining that situation.  If I was the French player, my opening moves would have been to move the Non-Zouaves (everyone left of the dotted blue line) in single-stacks as much as possible. Each Leader can command a Platoon of 6 squads, and the 1-hex radius gives them a total of 7 hexes of "occupancy". Moving as a giant honeycomb stack may seem a little weird, but if we look at the Germans, there are only 3 squads and a Leader present. You're immediately at a 2 to 1 manpower ratio. Spreading out also forces the German to make some tough choices. Do you attack the Leader in the middle, even if they are alone? Or do you attack the front line men, and leave Residual where it may disrupt movement. A broken leader can't follow, furthering hampering the Platoon's movement. As well, the 4 range is nice, but still limits where the Germans can put the most power. Would you spend all 12FP on one attack? Do you split them into 3 attacks of 4 FP? Do you save it for what may be an "obvious" move by the Zouaves? Going back to moves, the Zouaves should, without a doubt, be the absolute last units to move for the French in my mind. Getting the German to fire at the less valuable (in exit VP) units first, deplete their FP, and get rolled up by a Bayonet Charge from the Zouaves, forcing Final Protective Fire, seems like the better option. Then again, ASL is a game of dice, luck, and chaos. Would moving the Zouaves first, drawing fire and, having better odds of survival thanks to the 8 (vs 7) morale be a better alternative. In such a circumstance, the French would then have more troops capable of closing the distance and get a large Melee going in those woods. The main concern goes back to the Victory Conditions, but killing 7 German CVP could be a good excuse if achieved without meaningful losses. In any case, Hypnobeard is learning, aside from their constant use of stacks instead of single-MMC movement  and we've got a very beecoming scenario waiting for us soon.
Jobbo_Fett fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Jan 24, 2021 |
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Jan 24, 2021 22:43
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Aloha! Felt like I did better in this one. My initial plan was to move the regulars forward to support the Zouaves as they did a breakout. I then immediately had a mental fart and fired with the Zouaves. I honestly have no idea what I was thinking.  As Jobbo mentioned, the victory conditions for this one were very tight, and given the nature of WW1 warfare you'd have to play pretty perfectly and get good dice to win. It should be hard for the French, but this is verging on the impossible. I should have CX'd a bit more to get ahead of the Germans, and I definitely should have set up a better base of fire for bounding the platoons--things to remember for the next scenario with movement. I also completely forgot about the Kindling rules--I could have lit the grain fields on the east map (the bottom map in the graphics) on fire and protected that flank as I retreated, which would have helped. Hindsight, etc. Questions welcome as always, and looking forward to the next one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVCrmXW6-Pk
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Jan 25, 2021 16:05
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Hypnobeard posted:Aloha! God, I've been there. It definitely seemed like you were doing better, from what I could see. Though it felt like things were fairly lopsided in the end I think this was your best match yet, and I put that lopsidedness down more to as both you and Jobbo mentioned the mission's own force composition rather than poor play. I was surprised to see as much CXing as I did, it always seemed like a fairly suicidal thing to do if any enemy is within range but I suppose with a max of 6 range it was pretty reasonable for the Germans to do so. I don't know how effective it would have been for the French with the German's longer range, I suppose you'd need to be very careful when you did it but with how far it is to the escape side of the board I can see why you'd want to do it if able.
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Jan 26, 2021 02:19
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Shoeless posted:God, I've been there. Its 6MF without a Leader (barring other issues) and 8MF with a Leader. Moving 8 hexes can get you out of even Long Range fire from the German squads! And then they have to chase you, which makes it even tougher.
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Jan 26, 2021 02:32
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Jobbo_Fett posted:Its 6MF without a Leader (barring other issues) and 8MF with a Leader. Moving 8 hexes can get you out of even Long Range fire from the German squads! And then they have to chase you, which makes it even tougher. Yeah, but if you start the move within their range they can shoot, and get a bonus for doing so right? So it seems like you need to really be careful when using it, you have to start CXing away before the enemy is in range. You can't use it to get out of range, you have to be proactive about staying out of range. At least that's how it appears to me with my limited understanding of the rules. If I've gotten something wrong, that's on me.
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Jan 26, 2021 04:16
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Shoeless posted:Yeah, but if you start the move within their range they can shoot, and get a bonus for doing so right? So it seems like you need to really be careful when using it, you have to start CXing away before the enemy is in range. You can't use it to get out of range, you have to be proactive about staying out of range. At least that's how it appears to me with my limited understanding of the rules. If I've gotten something wrong, that's on me. Technically there's only two bonuses they could get, the first is First Fire Non-Assault Movement (FFNAM) and First Fire Open Ground (FFMO), each providing a -1 DRM. And to be fair to the both of us, a lot of it comes down to terrain. If you're in woods and "retreating", whether CX or not, puts you in a position to block LOS to any potential shooters, thats a lot of territory you can cover, and anyone playing catch-up doesn't have the same safety net.
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Jan 26, 2021 04:31
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For this particular scenario I didn't have much of a choice--I had to exit troops, and time was short. I had to take the change with CX (we were in lots of fields, so the hindrance mod was pretty high for the most part: +2 or +3), and there were marsh hexes which absolutely stalled things. As I mentioned earlier, in hindsight I would have tried to block the whole eastern (bottom) map and exited out along the south edge of the west map.
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Jan 26, 2021 20:01
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 FOR YOUR EYES ONLY  DO NOT WARN THE ENEMY ----- THEY ARE WATCHING
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Jan 27, 2021 03:56
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DH 1.1: First Sting Location: Tanga, German East Africa Date: 04-November-1914 The First World War gave the Allies to opportunity to carve up the scattered German African colonies. However, it wasn't until November that the British mounted a major effort to capture German East Africa, the jewel of the German colonial empire. The British landed an expeditionary force consisting of nearly 8000 men in four battalions (one British and three Indian) at Tanga, a picturesque colonial town 136 miles North of Dar es Salaam. The commander of the expeditionary force, Major General Arthur Aitken, was supremely confident that his force would easily sweep aside the defending German Schutztruppen. The British heavily outnumbered the defenders, and moreover, had a dim view of the fighting prowess of the native askaris, who made up the bulk of the Schutztruppen. Indian Expeditionary Force "B" landed on the evening of November 3rd and was ready to advance on the morning of the fourth, despite a brief panic among the Indians resulting from the accident discharge of a rifle. Meanwhile, the German commander, Col. Lettow-Vorbeck, warned well in advance of the impending landing, had 54 hours in which to reinforce and prepare his defenses.  Above is the full map in play. The Victory Locations have been marked in an image further down. Victory Conditions The British win if they control 8 of the 12 buildings on board 42. Special Rules Weather: EC is Moist. There is no wind. PTO terrain is in effect [EXC: Brush, Hedges, Roads] No Stone Unturned: All buildings are wooden, walls are hedges. Alternative Appearances: Germans use Italian counters to represent Schutztruppen [Exc: Broken morale increased by 1] Be Afraid, Very Afraid: The British are not immune to Cowering. Not the Memes!: Whenever a unit is in a Jungle, Palm, or Brush hex, rolling doubles on a Morale Check, Task Check, Close Combat, OR, rolling 12 on a fire attack, all units in that same hex must take an additional NTC. Failure of which pins the unit. If already pinned or broken, the unit breaks (This is a CR to a broken unit). BTCs, or Bee Task Checks, can trigger additional BTCs. British Setup/Strategy Looking at the German setup, we can see that they have placed most of their units in Buildings, and anyone outside of that is stuck in Trenches. I feel like there's going to be an unwillingness for Hypnobeard to move their units. The solid central group has limits on what it can see and where it can shoot. Notably, the machine guns are "stuck" in the trenches, although they are connect to houses, which means they may attempt to move only in the Advance Phase. Additionally, because the outer groups are more vulnerable, it should make it easier for me to punch into those areas and then hold on afterwards. Because of this, I've set up a weak center that are set to attack J1 and nab the building. Depending on strength and success will move out to I3 and J3 to try and get those two buildings as well. They are meant to distract at first, draw some fire from the machine gun on the left (and hopefully cause the shittier MG to break), while both my stronger flanks are meant to go to their assigned spots and then fight hard. So, for example, my right flank is much stronger, 3 squads are going to attack the enemy unit in F3 to take the building. Other troops are to go around, get into the top-right buildings and then push aggressively towards the middle of the map. At least one squad is designated to get into H8 and J7 and, with enough pressure from other squads, they should be able to accomplish this relatively un-scathed. As for the left flank, their job is solely to be a nuisance for the positions there. Hold the troops from being able to move and, if possible, take control of the 8-1 leader's building and the adjacent building. The Bees could pose a large risk, as it will mostly be affective the British forces here. Turn 1 - British  Opening turn sees a strong stack (8FP + Leader) attack the squad in J1, but can't muster the ability to impact them. As things quickly shift over to the Movement Phase, I posture rather quickly. With units moving up quickly on both the left and right flanks, holding only where they are limited by MF, or the possibility of being shot.  Sadly for me, the squad in J0 breaks under fire from the adjacent Schutztruppen. As the Advance Phase comes into effect, plenty of units get ever closer to the enemy. There's a slight risk with the three squads near F3, and by the stack in B4, but I'm hopeful that their concealment will let them avoid any major issues. Turn 1 - German  The turn opens with shots out from J1 taking out yet another squad. I should mention that, so far, BOTH broken squads ELR'ed. What's ELR? quote:19.1 EXPERIENCE LEVEL RATING (ELR): All OB forces in each scenario will specify a given number of Elite, 1st Line, 2nd Line, or Green/Conscript squads/HS with which each Player starts the game. However, during the course of play, each of these units is subject to possible Replacement by poorer quality squads/HS, depending on the interaction of fire, fate, and the prior experience level of the unit. Each scenario OB will list an ELR for that group of units as a number ranging from 0 to 5. This number represents the maximum amount by which an unbroken squad/HS/leader may fail any MC (after modification) without being Replaced by a lesser quality squad/HS/leader. Thus, an unbroken squad/HS/leader with an ELR of 1 would automatically be downgraded if it broke with a MC DR two or more > the number it needed to avoid breaking. Mark the current ELR level for each OB on the ELR Track of the Scenario Aid Card with any appropriately colored Infantry counter not in use. Basically, if you roll poorly enough, not only did the squad break, but they are now inherently worse for the rest of the scenario. In the stream, it was shown how the 4-4-7's I have become 4-3-6's, which doesn't seem like much, but a range of 3 puts me at the same distance as the Germans for that squad. The loss of 1 morale means they are no longer at the average level, and cowering is twice as bad now (They aren't immune in this scenario)! No movements are made, however, so the British force tries to fight back and scores a break on the frontline squad. Sadly, no other successful shots are made. State of the Board - British Turn 2  To Be Continued...
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Jan 29, 2021 02:11
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You can do it Hypno! Show Jobbo's brits! So I can only see 4 building hexes, each of which looks to have 2 buildings in it. For victory purposes when it says "hold 8/12 buildings" does a single hex count as one building, or does the number of houses detailed on the board matter? And either way, I'm assuming there's more building hexes under the German forces?
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Jan 29, 2021 04:50
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Shoeless posted:You can do it Hypno! Show Jobbo's brits! Each black-circled hex contains a building. Also yes, in PTO you could technically have Huts if the hex has multiple buildings depicted, but that isn't the case in this scenario. For non-PTO, even multiple buildings are treated as 1 Location for all purposes unless stated otherwise (This is a simplified explanation and does not counter different levels, etc etc)
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Jan 29, 2021 05:00
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Also, for those who are curious, this is indeed modelled after a real skirmish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tanga quote:The 98th Infantry were attacked by swarms of angry bees and broke up. The bees attacked the Germans as well, hence the battle's nickname.
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Jan 29, 2021 17:27
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Jobbo_Fett posted:Each black-circled hex contains a building. Ooooh, I was wondering why the German forces bothered having forces out in those more exposed forward locations. Now I realize it's to contest those buildings, makes sense.
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Jan 29, 2021 21:12
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Just gonna say ugh. Luck and planning were not with me this game.
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Feb 2, 2021 00:40
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Hypnobeard posted:Luck and planning were not with me this game. Another case of coming up with a plan and then immediately forgetting it once the game started?
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Feb 2, 2021 05:26
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DH 1.1: First Sting Part 2 State of the Board  The board looks evenly split. I have a lot of work ahead of myself, with both flanks open to move. The broken squad in J1 is an open invitation to force it into Desperation Morale again, where it'll have to rout regardless. I've got a plan to dash across the roads in order to surround Hypno, and then work my way inward. The buildings at the back, all four of them, appear to be empty, and I will take such free gifts, considering the victory conditions. Turn 2 - British  Some shots ring out from the squad in G2 to the concealed unit in F3, but don't find their mark. Outside of that, most units take to moving, doing whatever they can to move and avoid taking fire. A lot of this is done using "Dash" movement, which halves attacking fire, while still taking the negative DRMs from moving in open ground. Hypnobeard's troops wait until most of the movement has been completed, taking a few shots, but notably only breaking a squad in O5. Thankfully, the leader that went with that group [under the concealment counter at the time of the screenshot] who will be able to attempt rallies ASAP.  By the CC Phase, the Brits have advanced into two separate close combat fights, one against a pinned German. My broken squad routed to O6 with my leader ready to rally, whereas the broken German squad in I2 low-crawled to get there. In D5, my 4-4-7 rolls snake eyes in Close Combat, which will guarantee me a kill, but also gets me a roll on the Leader Creation table due to Field Promotion. The subsequent roll nets me a lovely new 7-0 Leader in that hex, which readjusts the combat odds. Unfortunately for Hypnobeard, they weren't so lucky in their roll as a response. Turn 2 - German  A mostly quiet turn, with no movement from the Germans. Shots go out and notably trigger a double set of bees against the squad in N5, but they neither pin nor break (Phew!). Both shots against my squad in G2 continue to prove their lucky status, and they take out their aggression against the broken men in the streets. Sadly, they also don't score any hits. Turn 3 - British  In the rally phase, Hypnobeard gets their fated snake eyes, triggering Heat of Battle. As fate is often want to do, their subsequent roll is a 12, forcing the unit to break a disrupt. Technically, this would've resulted in them surrendering, but I did not have an adjacent unit. A shot from the squads in F3 into the trenches of G5 manages to break the German machine gun group there, minus the leader, but also triggers the sniper to attack, killing the newly-discovered 7-0 leader I had. Easy come, easy go. Aside from that, it is more movement for my men. The squad in B7 continues to go the long way around into 42D9, moving in through the jungle hexes on the left flank is the 4 squads + 8-0 that prevents them from being shot at for the turn, while gaining some good ground.  State of the board, end of British Turn 3 Turn 3 - German  Shot after shot is made by the Germans, but as mostly singular attacks, the diminutive Firepower they have can't score any effective hits, aside from pinning one of my squads in G5. On the flip side, a 12FP firegroup manages to break the occupants of I3. Turn 4 - British  Incoming fire at the building in I3 continues to force DM status on all those broken within, though scores no results against the left-side trench. The MMG here has been ineffective, but not unworthy of attention. Movement had brought be an extra two buildings for my victory conditions (J7 and H8), as well as being adjacent to the last building I need, and am aiming for, H5. I was hoping that my squad, that broke, in J2 would've been an easy advance into CC and eventual control of the building.  The CCPhase comes around and, without ambushes, it is a trivial matter. A 9 to 1 ratio is only overcome by bad luck. Which wasn't the case. The 9-2 leader succumbs to the combined attack, netting my 8th building and the win. Aftermath posted:In the event, it was the poorly trained British and Indian forces that performed badly and the German Schutztruppen who acquitted themselves well. The British managed to cut the railway line and penetrate into the town itself, before being driven back by a counterattack. Of note during the battle were beehives fashioned out of hollow logs and hung by the locals from trees. The bees, irritated at having their hives hit by rifle and machinegun fire, would often swarm out in force stinging all in the surrounding area regardless of their national allegiance. At times during the battle, shooting would cease while the combatants fled the fury of the bees. The Germans, despite being outnumbered 8 to 1 and equipped with black powder rifles of
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Feb 2, 2021 18:59
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 Addendum: I like the mechanics of the bees, but the British have a big advantage in firepower. Low quality troops, bees as a major hazard, and a lack of support weapons means you have to both eliminate bottlenecks with firegroups, and move to surround and pressure the enemy. I might've had the Machine Guns in different locations, perhaps in N5 to cover both sides of the hedges on the left flank. If the British don't set anyone up on that side, you just gotta move it. The trench in G5 is a good spot. Otherwise, I think some units may have been set up too far to actively participate from the get-go, and there was a lack of fire groups from the German side. Why are firegroups important?  The Germans had 3 FP per squad. 3 FP doesn't have a column in the (short) Infantry Fire Table, meaning they automatically lose 1FP, 33% of their attack potential, by attacking alone. Two squads get you to 6FP, and you can see the qualitative difference above. ASL is a game of numbers, in a lot of ways. If the average roll of 2 dice is 7, you could see how you need a better than average roll, per shot, to gain any benefit. You need a 5 to get anything worthwhile out of it and, since you can only get a minimum of a 2 with no negative modifiers, you can see the issue this creates. Conversely, 6 FP gets you an average chance at a morale check, and a better than average chance of an effect. There's a lot more in-depth analysis out there for numbers, which I'll probably post someday, but hopefully this gives you something to think about.
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Feb 2, 2021 19:23
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So the (short) infantry fire table jumps from 2 to 6, then what?
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Feb 3, 2021 06:53
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White Coke posted:So the (short) infantry fire table jumps from 2 to 6, then what? It doesn't, thats just for visual purposes. The table is 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 36. The "long" table is the Incremental Infantry Fire Table which has 36 (iirc) separate columns.
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Feb 3, 2021 07:12
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O5: The Tsar's Infernal Machines Location: Pabianice, Russia Date: 21-November-1914 On 17 August 1914, the Russian Minister of Military Affairs, Adjutant-General Vladimir Sukhomlinov, summoned Colonel Dobrzanski of the Life Guard Rifle Legion and ordered him to form and equip an “armored automobile machinegun battery.” This was quickly carried out using trucks modified by the addition of armor plate and various weaponry. In October 1914 the 1st Automobile Machinegun Company, with 8 Russo-Balt armored cars and a single Mannesmann-Mulag armored truck equipped with a 47mm naval cannon, was sent to the front to serve in the 2nd Army. Under the command of Captain Gurdova, this unit first saw action against a German attack on 21 November 1914 at Pabianice.  Above is the full map in play. Grey buildings (Stone) are the victory Locations. Victory Conditions The Germans win if they control 9 or more stone building Locations. Special Rules Weather: EC is Wet. There is no wind. Smoke and Mirrors: Deployment and Smoke is NA. MMC may only use Double Time with a Leader. Charge!: Banzai Charges may be declared by either side. Der Komissair: Russians do not get Commissars. What's your ETA?: Reinforcements arrive on turn 3 on a dr of 1-3, otherwise they enter on Turn 4. Spray and Pray: Germans do not have Spraying Fire. Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: Any Good Order, unpinned German 4-3-6/2-3-6 within 3 hexes of an AFV must make an immediate NTC. If passed, they become 4-4-7/2-3-7. If failed, make a dr for that squad. On a 1-3, they pin, otherwise they break.  German Setup/Strategy The plan is to divert the Russian forces with a not-insignificant force pressuring the main body of forces. I only need 9 stone building Locations, so any 9 hexes is acceptable, and Hypnobeard has focused entirely on a section of the map I don't care to move in on. I will eventually want to be aggressive against those troops in order to pin them down, but otherwise I simply want to pin them down. In order to do any of this, I need to move all my units up and towards a (supposed to be concealed) unit in AA5 (the upper AA5, which is board P). Once that unit is pre-occupied, the way will be clear for me to move out and grab any of the stone buildings before the Armoured Cars or trucks show up. Otherwise, I'll have to compromise. Nabbing any of the singular stone buildings can be useful, if only to annoy the enemy side and take away shots that they should make on more important units. Turn 1 - German  Plenty of movement this turn, and unfortunately I bet that a machine gun wouldn't be in AA6. Thankfully, Hypnobeard still hasn't used Fire Lanes, which could have done a lot to cut off that entire area of (safe) movement. That being said, I did mess up by forgetting that the crappy troop quality reduces my movement capability, so a few of the squads at the bottom get re-arranged to fix that. (I should have said something earlier, but the orchard still provides a +1 LOS hindrance per complete hex crossed. This is partially explained by the LOS tool dying on us at the start of this session for reasons unknown. Turn 1 - Russian  Very little happening on the Russian side of things. One unit moves out from U9 to shore up positions over there, while the MMG scores a good hit and breaks both my squads in Y3 (they weren't split to penalize myself for not considering the 3MF. I attempt to return fire but score no hits. Turn 2 - German  However, in the following turn I manage to break both the MMG crew and the accompanying squad, thanks to my 7-0+2x squads in the building at DD5. Any further punishment I try to put on them is just a big whiff. Movement into the woods of W4 and X3 is met with some attacks but only the broken squads suffer any issues. The X6 hex fires later, but only manages to remove the concealment on my leader.  Meanwhile, further up from the rest, I make a concerted effort to move into the building at AA5/AA6/Z5. An attack against two squads in CC3 breaks one and pins the other. Looking back, I should've split them. For the advance phase, most units either get to safety or one hex closer to a stone building. Turn 2 - Russian  With the breaking of the MMG crew+squad in AA6, Hypnobeard lets loose with everything in the stone building-dominated village. An MMG in X6 uses spraying fire, attacking both Z4 and AA4 and breaking both. Against W4, a lucky snake eyes manages to break a squad, but my sniper retaliates immediately, breaking the ? squad in W8 (Thick red circle).  While further up, the only action is some movement away from my troops. Turn 3 - German  More shots go out and I manage to break the leader in AA6 (forgot to annotate that one). The full squad in Y4 declares a "Banzai" charge and runs to AA6. Despite Hypnobeard's best effort, they can't stop the squad getting into the stone building. A half-squad in X3 declares Banzai as well as attempts to get into X6 but breaks at X5 (should be a "break" here).  Lots of movement up to, with three leaders running around with their assigned squads. Forgot to mark a squad pinning in V3. Otherwise, I have a squad advance into Melee in Y6 which occurred later.  The unsuccessful close combat devolves into a melee here.  Whereas both broken units managed to escape here. Turn 3 - Russian  My plan to contain the Russians has been alright so far. Wish I'd not had so many units break in the very bottom of my group, but beggars can't be choosers.  And unluckily for me, the Armoured Cars/trucks make it on the map early. One extra turn would've helped me secure a lot of territory. The AFVs force units to potentially break, or pin, which is what happens in against all my units save the one squad in melee. During the rout phase, I choose to run the leader with the broken squad and, after a failed Interdiction MC, he dies immediately. Should've read the rule more thoroughly, otherwise I wouldn't have waste such a valuable asset so freely. To Be Continued... Jobbo_Fett fucked around with this message at 02:15 on Feb 6, 2021 |
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Feb 5, 2021 23:48
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Wait, so we are in Poland? Or maybe Africa? And perhaps there's some brits around? I'm even more confused than usual.
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Feb 6, 2021 01:04
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Pharnakes posted:Wait, so we are in Poland? Or maybe Africa? And perhaps there's some brits around? I'm even more confused than usual. Of course I forgot to change the location
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Feb 6, 2021 01:23
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O5: The Tsar's Infernal Machines Part 2 State of the board Broken units spread around the board, a melee that threatens to continue for some time, approaching vehicles and a dwindling timer for me to capture the necessary building locations is going to be quite the interesting mix to have to fight through. Nonetheless, the German troops have nothing to lose, and I should be able to take advantage of my positioning in the middle right of the combat area. Turn 4 - German  As my men attempt to rally, those in X3 and W4 retain their DM status. I plan to rout them to X1 and safety. I should've probably done this a turn ago, but wasn't thinking about it at the time. (They won't be shot in X1, so it'll be easier to rally over time.) The squad in AA6 drops the Russian MMG, as it isn't possible to repair a captured weapon. In the Movement Phase, the squad in CC10 declares a  Up above, the Leader and Squad in T10/T0 move into the stone building in R1/R2, while my conscripts in V3 attempt to join them, being attacked in the process. Thankfully, there's no negative result. A vehicle not currently shown takes shots at my broken squad in AA6 but the +3 TEM is too much to overcome, and my leader, attempting to seek shelter elsewhere to rally the broken squad, is now in the sights of the truck on the road at W6.  Post-Advance Phase movement. The Russian squad in Melee up above gets CR'ed. Turn 4 - Russian  As the Russians gain more footing, they move the AFVs ever closer to the action down below, while also getting adjacent to the melee in Y6.  Down below, many shots are traded, but other than a Pin result on AA8, nothing occurs. The vehicles move ever closer, but their MGs are also appear to be ineffective. Turn 5 - German  I have to grab more stone building Locations. I'm at 9 right now, and if Hypnobeard doesn't capture any back, I'm set to win.  Trying to score some pins or breaks is a bust, sadly, but I manage to get my squad in AA8 to move into AA10. This will allow me to attack from point blank against one of his vehicles. If Hypno doesn't stick around, its a free reinforcement up top. Further below, I try to re-organize a blocking force to harass and potentially banzai charge the rowhouses at X6/W7/V6.  Post-advance phase, I've got some units that have moved away from the AFVs up north and consolidate my position in S4. Normally, I wouldn't want to do this, but the leader DRM makes it a better proposition for me to fight, versus the Russian 4-2-6 squad that won't stack up as well.  Also note I lose my DM'ed squad in V10 due to failure to rout. Turn 5 - Russian  Shots are exchanged once more, and a Pin is scored by the Germans against the squad in R5.  If only I could get a break. AFVs move to new positions, which I'm glad for, I'll take the easier defense. While down below, the other pair of Armored Cars drive into the village. A pin is scored against Y4, but its merely shrugged off.  The end of the session brings about the closure (finally) of the melee in Z8, and the snake eyes I roll means everyone dies...  Except for the (Command & To Be Continued...
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Feb 10, 2021 01:57
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Wargamevault.com has paired with Multiman Publishing for about a year now, releasing some pretty good stuff, such as the old ASL Annuals and Journals (Magazines with interesting articles and scenarios) and they've FINALLY released the Electronic Rulebook for ASL. https://www.wargamevault.com/product/344879/Electronic-Advanced-Squad-Leader-Rulebook Its $60, so its not an easy purchase, since it doesn't come with any scenarios or extra goodies, but allegedly will have continuous support via updates if you have it. You can't find the Electronic Rulebook on MMPs own site, presumably for that sort of exclusivity. So if you've ever been very curious about this game and don't care one cent that you wouldn't get anything else with this purchase, its hard not to recommend it. I should also mention that having an Electronic Rulebook (or a physical version, I don't judge) will be essential for anyone who wishes to join in on 3-player scenarios and Campaign Games.
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Feb 10, 2021 03:22
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Jobbo_Fett posted:
If it's searchable then it's worth $60.
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Feb 13, 2021 01:58
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NC Wyeth Death Cult posted:If it's searchable then it's worth $60. It is.
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Feb 13, 2021 02:11
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As far as I've seen on FB, it's both searchable and meticulously bookmarked/indexed.
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Feb 13, 2021 21:21
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O5: The Tsar's Infernal Machines Part 3 Turn 6 - German  An unsuccessful self-rally is followed a Heat of Battle activation for a half-squad, who promptly go Berserk. The stack with my 8-1 leader all come back into play, which is nice.  I try my luck some more at breaking the units in X6. Normally, spending this much time on the same units and same targets is indicative of wasting your time. I have no reason to move these units, since I've gotten my objective count, plus a good surplus, and advancing towards them puts them under risk of dying for no gain. So, they sit tight and shoot. The reinforcing AFVs make the idea of getting closer that much less desirable.  The berserk'ed Half-Squad is the first to move in this entire turn, attracting a heavy amount of fire from both AFVs. They manage to survive and get right up to the first of the AFVs, and I have the 2nd line squad and leader get adjacent as well. Meanwhile, the conscripts in Z5 move to W5 so that I can advance into V5, for the additional VC location. The Squad in S4 attacked the Russians coming from behind in T1 but were unsuccessful.  Unfortunately for me, the squad I had moving in from behind to W1 is broken in their destination. The only other notable result after this screenshot was a sniper activation that broke the unit in Y4.  By the end of the turn, I'm still clumped up around X3, but I can at least threaten the large Russian group Hypnobeard has kept in those rowhouses all game.  The Squad in Z7 pins while attempting to get into the same hex as the AFV in AA8 (the one without the Berserk Squad) and the Leader helps out the vikings. Another building is secured, my stack in S4 is encircled, and the Close Combat actions provide no result. Turn 6 - Russian  Despite multiple attempts to take out the half-squad in X4, and a return to the norm with a shot against AA6, none are successful. The movement phase sees both AFVs which pins one squad, breaks a half-squad, and battle hardens two full squads. Additionally, one of Hypnobeards squads moves into Z9, which I was a little surprised by.  Meanwhile, up top, an overrun is attempted, but neither side inflict any wounds. Despite all my attempts, the AFVs are just too strong for my forces to do anything about them. A conscript squad attempts to get into the Stone buildings in R1/R2 but a lucky shot cuts them all down. Turn 7 - German  I'd like this turn back for numerous reasons, but we'll see that in a moment. The HS in X4 breaks getting into Y4 by the defensive guns of the AFVs, but both are set up to not be able to retaliate against the Leader and the rallied squad with him. Hopefully, I can convert this into a kill later on.  While up top, I get my own turn to get diced by the RNG. The only reason this wasn't 4 breaks is due to the LOS Hindrance effect affecting the shot of the AFV in DD4. Everyone else got dunked on thanks to Hypnobeard's low rolls and my ability to roll 10s or so consistently.  Alright, we get our first Close Combat (Vehicular) that gets a result, so lets look into this one in a little more detail. First off, both unit types use the Close Combat Table, however they are used in different ways. Each major infantry unit type has its own CCV or Close Combat Value. [The CCV of a squad is 5, a Crew is 4, a HS is 3, and a SMC is 2.] And this is used to determine what the non-vehicular player requires to roll equal or less. There are various positive and negative DRMs, but for the above case, the two standout ones are that there is an SMC present, adding a +1 to the CCV, and the leadership of that same leader providing a -1 DRM. So instead of only have a CCV of 5, it is 6 with a -1 to the roll. Essentially, I will kill the tank on a 7 or less. In this case, I roll a 6. The vehicle becomes a wreck, but Hypnobeard's crew may have survived. If they roll below the CS (Crew Survival) #, a vehicular crew counter appears below the tank. Hypnobeard wasn't successful. Had I rolled a 3 or less, I would have sent the vehicle up in flames, otherwise known as a Blaze. Those can be fun and useful, due to the nature of smoke and its effects, but we'll see more of that in the future. Turn 7 - Russian  Sadly, the last turn ends in a whimper, and not a bang. I don't recall asking, but I think Hypnobeard had convinced themselves there was nothing left that could be done. Thus, the big stack in V6 did its usual shenanigans against my squad in the woods, and the Conscripts way up top chased after a DM unit. This essentially made it impossible for my opponent to regain any of the Stone Building Locations that would have swayed the decision. Victory Conditions Germans win at game end by Controlling 9 or more stone building Locations. Number Controlled: 10 Aftermath posted:The Russian 2nd Army was well established in buildings on the outskirts of town, but despite heavy machine-gun fire, the well-led German force was making good progress charging across fairly open ground until it ran into the brand new 1st Automobile Machinegun Company. The Germans had no experience fighting against armored vehicles, and each squad’s reaction was unpredictable. Some broke and ran, some cowered in place, while others stiffened and fought back all the harder, finding the vulnerabilities in these not-so-invincible “infernal machines.” Captain Gurdova’s force managed to delay a German breakthrough long enough to permit Russian troops t o retreat to new positions. Gurdova’s vehicle was hit several times and many of its crew, including Gurdova himself, were wounded. Captain Gurdova received Russia’s highest military decoration, the Order of St. George. However, the limited production capacity of the Russian auto industry required the Russians to look elsewhere for sufficient equipment. A commission was sent to England under the leadership of the commander of the Auto mobile Training Company, Colonel Siekrietev, to purchase a large number of motorized vehicles. As the result of this mission, 48 armored cars based on the Austin chassis and 40 more on the Renault were purchased for us e in future operations.
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Feb 14, 2021 01:35
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So how long does an average one of these matches take, both on VASSAL and on tabletop? It definitely looks like a interesting game and scratches a grog itch... tempted to pick up one of the Starter Kits, but either everything is out of print or its hard to come by stuff here in Europe? The only starter kits I can find for sale anywhere are 1 and 4. Edit: does using VASL require you to own anything beforehand? Drone fucked around with this message at 13:41 on Feb 14, 2021 |
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Feb 14, 2021 13:24
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Drone posted:So how long does an average one of these matches take, both on VASSAL and on tabletop? Hypnobeard and I play about 3 hours per sessions, and each part in a scenario is 1 session. Learning rules or getting in the swing of things does take some getting used to, but small scenarios should generally take between 3 and 5 hours. I'd say a small scenario has about less than a dozen or so squads per side, limited or no Guns and Vehicles, and not many SSRs. Once you start adding complexity and units to the game, you can easily stretch out the game's length to 8 to 12 hours. Another major delay is rules checking/searching. If you have an electronic rulebook, you can search faster than manually, and then there's whatever differences you have in interpreting those rules with your opponent. I try to keep that to a minimum with Hypnobeard to speed things up. As for getting ASL in Europe, I'm not very knowledgeable on resellers, but there are healthy communities out there for it. Starter Kit 1 is obviously the best way to start if you don't want to dump over $100-200 on something you may not enjoy. Starter Kit 4 has all of the complexity from SK 1 through 3, but focuses on the Pacific theater, with Chinese/Japanese troops at the forefront. VASL is a free module that requires nothing specifically, but you cannot find scenarios other than the few that are available for free online and via purchases from MMP or third party publishers. Fake edit: Side note, face-to-face games take longer than VASL, but that also depends on how proficient/comfortable you are with computers. An opponent of mine typically takes... a long time for basic moves, so even a 12 squad (Total) OOB in 5 turns can take like 3 or 4 sessions.
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Feb 14, 2021 15:46
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Drone posted:It definitely looks like a interesting game and scratches a grog itch... tempted to pick up one of the Starter Kits, but either everything is out of print or its hard to come by stuff here in Europe? The only starter kits I can find for sale anywhere are 1 and 4. Sadly, this is normal for board wargames. Games get only limited print runs which are usually sold out fairly quickly, so to get a specific game you often need to buy used or at least from a private reseller. Boardgamegeek market section is pretty good way to find games to buy. Also I did a quick check and Hexasim, a French store where I usually buy my wargames from, has starter kit #2 in stock.
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Feb 14, 2021 16:19
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The other thing to keep in mind as well is how some players overthink their choices. I often feel like my regular lengthy-game opponent, not Hypnobeard, tries to analyze every possible outcome or move before performing it. It's something I've personally tried to work on, because quick decision making is important, and ASL can help train that. Its why streaming the games is a benefit to that, because I know I don't want to bog down my turn with errs, umms, and being stuck thinking about approaches. I should have at least a solid concept of the board, my objectives, and how I can achieve them. If there are roadblocks, I have to think about crossing or getting around them without significantly impacting my bottom line of X turns for Y objective(s). Which goes back to playtime. There's a scenario I played not too long ago from a 3PP called "A Deadly Tide". 14.5 squads, 4.5 turns, a few SWs per side and in PTO. If you were really fast, you could finish it in 2 hours. But you need to know the rules for infantry well enough, the rules for PTO well enough, etc.
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Feb 14, 2021 16:51
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Back when I played regularly, we used a chess clock for each turn (that was not generously set) to help simulate the chaos of war. Any units that didn't get moved were just unit commanders that didn't have their poo poo together, which is a fairly common occurrence in war anyway. It also greatly helped with the pace of play.
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Feb 14, 2021 17:31
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