Major Issues
Elder Member
Got together with Jonathan Kapleau at Dan Dolan's North Jersey Bash. This was made more exciting by the presence of a chipmunk in the room. I think it was named Alvin. Paul Sidhu (the "Chipmunk Whisperer") was able to capture it in a bowl. Is there nothing the man cannot do??? He flung it outside, while I sang "Born Free." Alvin did not sing.
Jonathan picked this scenario out. ROAR has it about 60/ 40 pro French. I took the Germans. Shot of Jonathan, the Heroic French Commander:
A small but determined band of French infantry is holding out inside a walled farm complex. The barn is already fully engulfed in flames. This is why the French can't have nice things. The smell of roasted Frog was everywhere.
This band of defenders have to hold until a relief company can break through. There are 9-1/2 Germans squads and a 37L AT to stop them.
Despite the record, I thought that this looked pro-German. I don't have to take the farm, I only have to stop the relief force. So shooting at Fanatic Elite squads in stone buildings was not part of my plan. Keeping the open ground covered to deny easy movement was. This is only 4-1/2 turns, so any delay can be fatal.
The 37L AT was set up to cover the road in front of the farm. I set my foxholes with LMGs up in 43U2, where it could make a good firelane, and in 43L9, which seems like a weird spot, but it covers the flank, and the Fanatic defenders can't see it. The MMG was in the brush near the AT gun, ready to move to put another firelane on the road from behind the hedge.
I stuck a concealed 248 behind the defenders in 43O10, just because I could. I thought that it might prove a useful annoyance. Kinda like Rachel Maddow.
An ATR squad was way in the back at 43W9 to cover the right. Two squads were in the board 72 woods to slow up the advance and hopefully continue to drop back.
Two squads charged my woodsie dudes on the left. He shot and cowered, but another squad broke one French squad, leaving one CX squad next to me. He went into CC with his CX squad, but nothing happened, as these were really big trees we were hiding behind. The rest of his relief company either crept forward to assault the center or moved through the woods to my right.
Unable to tolerate the idea of Germans at his backdoor (there's a joke in there somewhere), Jonathan sent a HS to assault what he assumed were dummies in 43O10. They weren't - this was my 248 - but I screwed up my setup and had not used Wall Advantage. I still remember the Olde Dayes when you could declare it when somebody moved adjacent. So his HS jumped mine in CC, which went to a Melee.
In the center, my stone fortress at 43P1 held firm, while one or two of his squads in the woods line broke. Per turn. The 9-1/ LMG squad in 43U2 was particularly deadly.
I reduced his CX squad in the Melee in the woods. My squad in 43L9 abandoned his foxhole to jump into the Melee by the burning barn and eliminate his HS.
His assault through the woods on the right had mixed results. Three squads moved adjacent, and my defending squad did nothing. A shot from my Stone Fortress got a MC on one French squad. SNAKES!!! AN OPPORTUNITY TO BATTLE HARDEN AND CREATE A HERO! SEIZE THE DAY! SEIZE THE DAY!!!!!!!
Or, you could do what his squad did, and roll an 11 and surrender.
It's a French thing. You wouldn't understand.
The remaining squads do jump me and I die in CC. He reinforces the other Melee, rolls snakes, and creates an 8-0. So in CC, I have now lost 2 squads, and he has lost 2 HSs and gained an 8-0.
Meanwhile, back at the Ponderosa (actually, Le Ponderosa), Jonathan missed a LOS my Rear Boys had to a concealed squad of his on the wrong side of the wall:
Which I did, breaking them. They were forced to rout to a building hex in LOS to my MMG and 37L. Now with an unconcealed target, they continued to merrily pepper him with shots, eventually reducing him, and finding and breaking the other full squad.
In the center, my counterattack against his HS ends badly, with my squad breaking on a 2+1 shot. My 9-1 is wounded by a sniper, but shrugs it off and his men continue to roll 3s and 5s.
An assault on my wounded 9-1 results in two French squads and an 8-0 broken. On my left, the 8-0 and his squad break, and the MMG squad breaks.
While these guys are coming back, the are doing so slowly - many did not rally even when the DM was off. And some were now Green. His 8-1 spent literally the entire game in the backfield, rallying troops by plying them with eclairs and fine wine.
I rush Le Ponderosa with two squads, after I realized that he had just a leader left in good order. One HS there dies for failure to rout. These Fanatic guys dropped like flies. Most every time I got a result, they would roll an 11. So now there is one broken French HS left, and I now control one of the victory buildings in an area I never planned to attack.
We called the game after 4 turns, but really it was over after 3, as his assault company no longer had the time to make it to the farm. At game end, I still had two squads in 43P1 and the 9-1 led squad in a Foxhole blocking his way.
Still think that this is pro-German, though any Germans that set up in the middle and break will have trouble routing due to having Frenchmen in both directions.
We did have fun with this.
Possibly the best ASL line of 2018:
"My MMG squad passed everything, until he didn't."
Pic of the battle's aftermath:
Special thanx to Dan Dolan for setting this up, and to Paul Sidhu for bringing lunch for everybody.
Which was not Roasted Chipmunk.
For which we are grateful.
Jonathan picked this scenario out. ROAR has it about 60/ 40 pro French. I took the Germans. Shot of Jonathan, the Heroic French Commander:
A small but determined band of French infantry is holding out inside a walled farm complex. The barn is already fully engulfed in flames. This is why the French can't have nice things. The smell of roasted Frog was everywhere.
This band of defenders have to hold until a relief company can break through. There are 9-1/2 Germans squads and a 37L AT to stop them.
Despite the record, I thought that this looked pro-German. I don't have to take the farm, I only have to stop the relief force. So shooting at Fanatic Elite squads in stone buildings was not part of my plan. Keeping the open ground covered to deny easy movement was. This is only 4-1/2 turns, so any delay can be fatal.
The 37L AT was set up to cover the road in front of the farm. I set my foxholes with LMGs up in 43U2, where it could make a good firelane, and in 43L9, which seems like a weird spot, but it covers the flank, and the Fanatic defenders can't see it. The MMG was in the brush near the AT gun, ready to move to put another firelane on the road from behind the hedge.
I stuck a concealed 248 behind the defenders in 43O10, just because I could. I thought that it might prove a useful annoyance. Kinda like Rachel Maddow.
An ATR squad was way in the back at 43W9 to cover the right. Two squads were in the board 72 woods to slow up the advance and hopefully continue to drop back.
Two squads charged my woodsie dudes on the left. He shot and cowered, but another squad broke one French squad, leaving one CX squad next to me. He went into CC with his CX squad, but nothing happened, as these were really big trees we were hiding behind. The rest of his relief company either crept forward to assault the center or moved through the woods to my right.
Unable to tolerate the idea of Germans at his backdoor (there's a joke in there somewhere), Jonathan sent a HS to assault what he assumed were dummies in 43O10. They weren't - this was my 248 - but I screwed up my setup and had not used Wall Advantage. I still remember the Olde Dayes when you could declare it when somebody moved adjacent. So his HS jumped mine in CC, which went to a Melee.
In the center, my stone fortress at 43P1 held firm, while one or two of his squads in the woods line broke. Per turn. The 9-1/ LMG squad in 43U2 was particularly deadly.
I reduced his CX squad in the Melee in the woods. My squad in 43L9 abandoned his foxhole to jump into the Melee by the burning barn and eliminate his HS.
His assault through the woods on the right had mixed results. Three squads moved adjacent, and my defending squad did nothing. A shot from my Stone Fortress got a MC on one French squad. SNAKES!!! AN OPPORTUNITY TO BATTLE HARDEN AND CREATE A HERO! SEIZE THE DAY! SEIZE THE DAY!!!!!!!
Or, you could do what his squad did, and roll an 11 and surrender.
It's a French thing. You wouldn't understand.
The remaining squads do jump me and I die in CC. He reinforces the other Melee, rolls snakes, and creates an 8-0. So in CC, I have now lost 2 squads, and he has lost 2 HSs and gained an 8-0.
Meanwhile, back at the Ponderosa (actually, Le Ponderosa), Jonathan missed a LOS my Rear Boys had to a concealed squad of his on the wrong side of the wall:
Which I did, breaking them. They were forced to rout to a building hex in LOS to my MMG and 37L. Now with an unconcealed target, they continued to merrily pepper him with shots, eventually reducing him, and finding and breaking the other full squad.
In the center, my counterattack against his HS ends badly, with my squad breaking on a 2+1 shot. My 9-1 is wounded by a sniper, but shrugs it off and his men continue to roll 3s and 5s.
An assault on my wounded 9-1 results in two French squads and an 8-0 broken. On my left, the 8-0 and his squad break, and the MMG squad breaks.
While these guys are coming back, the are doing so slowly - many did not rally even when the DM was off. And some were now Green. His 8-1 spent literally the entire game in the backfield, rallying troops by plying them with eclairs and fine wine.
I rush Le Ponderosa with two squads, after I realized that he had just a leader left in good order. One HS there dies for failure to rout. These Fanatic guys dropped like flies. Most every time I got a result, they would roll an 11. So now there is one broken French HS left, and I now control one of the victory buildings in an area I never planned to attack.
We called the game after 4 turns, but really it was over after 3, as his assault company no longer had the time to make it to the farm. At game end, I still had two squads in 43P1 and the 9-1 led squad in a Foxhole blocking his way.
Still think that this is pro-German, though any Germans that set up in the middle and break will have trouble routing due to having Frenchmen in both directions.
We did have fun with this.
Possibly the best ASL line of 2018:
"My MMG squad passed everything, until he didn't."
Pic of the battle's aftermath:
Special thanx to Dan Dolan for setting this up, and to Paul Sidhu for bringing lunch for everybody.
Which was not Roasted Chipmunk.
For which we are grateful.
