Major Issues
Elder Member
I was working on an article for an upcoming Journal entitled “Nationality Differences – Which Country Had The Hottest Partisans?”
After that, I had time for a game with Walt.
We have played several FW scenarios lately. He wanted to play Super Bazookas, and wanted me to take the Koreans, because he said I’m better with tanks.
This is a very small scenario with a small American infantry force that includes 3 BAZ 50s. TK on these is 32. Best armor on my T-34/85s is 11. So if he hits my best AF, he ‘only’ needs a 21 TK. Ouch.
Can things get worse for the Koreans??? This is ASL – of course they can!!! One bazooka-totin’ HS can set up HIP. There are 157 potential HIP locations. Also, most of the board is Irritated Rice Paddies, so the tanks are VERY restricted as to where they can move without sinking up to their hubcaps. If they had hubcaps. Also, the exit area is three hexes wide, and two of those are woods.
So, he knows where I come in, he knows where I have to exit, and he knows all of the words to “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee”, by “Stick” McGhee and His Buddy. Will that help??? Only time will tell...
VC are that I have to exit 2 tanks, or have more VPs than the Americans with a combo of exit and CVPs.
So my 4 tanks enter. And, sure enough, the HIP HS pops up and flames the lead tank.
Here is where I think Walt made a mistake. His HIP dudes were in the orchard, not a Rice Paddy O’Furniture hex. So tanks 2 & 3 overran the poor sod. #3 broke him, #4 stopped a couple hexes away, and the broken HS died for FTR.
Still, advantage - Americans. The lead tank is still in Motion, as there is another concealed bazooka nearby.
A1, Walt AMs his forward troops back a hex in the woods. My DF, a lucky MG shot from the Motion tank strips concealment off the 8-1 and Bazooka Dudes. One stopped tank gets TWO hits, one of which was with special ammo (Kimchi 5. It’s in Chapter W. Somewhere towards the back. Look it up.) The 8-1 breaks, wounds, and ELRs. The squad breaks and reduces.
K2, I chase after the broken Americans, who have routed into a rice paddy. Nothing happens. One tank overruns the abandoned bazooka. Little used rule, but it automatically destroys it. I wanted to do this because I was paranoid about another squad running back to pick it up. Walt thought that I was being overly paranoid. As does my therapist. Well, two out of my three therapists.
In rout phase, the wounded 8-0 can only slosh one hex to another Rice-A-Roni paddy. The HS can rout back to a building with a 9-1.
K3, I eliminate the wounded 8-0 in the Rice, Rice, Baby paddy. I move next to the broken bazooka HS and 9-1, but can’t do anything other than DM the HS. They rout back to the woods by the exit hexes.
K4, I move my tanks to get shots at the concealed bazooka HS and the no longer broken bazooka HS. Walt managed to rally the HS while under DM.
Things look bad. I need two tanks to get off – I am still down on CVPs – and there are two bazookas blocking the exit.
A4, I shoot through the FW woods at the just rallied HS. And shoot and shoot. Couple ROFs, a CH, and the bazooka HS is gone. GONE, BABY, GONE!!!
K5, I can just run the three remaining tanks offboard. Walt’s one remaining bazooka nails one, but, it’s not like he can Intensive Fire, and, with no effect from two pathetic CC Reaction Fire attacks by a HS, my remaining two tanks exit for the win!!!
Gut feeling is that this is pro-American, despite being fairly even on ROAR. I feel I got lucky with shots on two turns to break, then eliminate one of the bazooka threats.
If Walt had his HIP HS in a paddy hex, or somewhere where he could have waited till Final Fire to shoot, he may well have taken out an additional tank the following American Prep Fire, which would probably crush the Korean chances.
Plus side – this only took us about an hour to play.
Extra plus - it was really, really good kimchi!
After that, I had time for a game with Walt.
We have played several FW scenarios lately. He wanted to play Super Bazookas, and wanted me to take the Koreans, because he said I’m better with tanks.
This is a very small scenario with a small American infantry force that includes 3 BAZ 50s. TK on these is 32. Best armor on my T-34/85s is 11. So if he hits my best AF, he ‘only’ needs a 21 TK. Ouch.
Can things get worse for the Koreans??? This is ASL – of course they can!!! One bazooka-totin’ HS can set up HIP. There are 157 potential HIP locations. Also, most of the board is Irritated Rice Paddies, so the tanks are VERY restricted as to where they can move without sinking up to their hubcaps. If they had hubcaps. Also, the exit area is three hexes wide, and two of those are woods.
So, he knows where I come in, he knows where I have to exit, and he knows all of the words to “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee”, by “Stick” McGhee and His Buddy. Will that help??? Only time will tell...
VC are that I have to exit 2 tanks, or have more VPs than the Americans with a combo of exit and CVPs.
So my 4 tanks enter. And, sure enough, the HIP HS pops up and flames the lead tank.
Here is where I think Walt made a mistake. His HIP dudes were in the orchard, not a Rice Paddy O’Furniture hex. So tanks 2 & 3 overran the poor sod. #3 broke him, #4 stopped a couple hexes away, and the broken HS died for FTR.
Still, advantage - Americans. The lead tank is still in Motion, as there is another concealed bazooka nearby.
A1, Walt AMs his forward troops back a hex in the woods. My DF, a lucky MG shot from the Motion tank strips concealment off the 8-1 and Bazooka Dudes. One stopped tank gets TWO hits, one of which was with special ammo (Kimchi 5. It’s in Chapter W. Somewhere towards the back. Look it up.) The 8-1 breaks, wounds, and ELRs. The squad breaks and reduces.
K2, I chase after the broken Americans, who have routed into a rice paddy. Nothing happens. One tank overruns the abandoned bazooka. Little used rule, but it automatically destroys it. I wanted to do this because I was paranoid about another squad running back to pick it up. Walt thought that I was being overly paranoid. As does my therapist. Well, two out of my three therapists.
In rout phase, the wounded 8-0 can only slosh one hex to another Rice-A-Roni paddy. The HS can rout back to a building with a 9-1.
K3, I eliminate the wounded 8-0 in the Rice, Rice, Baby paddy. I move next to the broken bazooka HS and 9-1, but can’t do anything other than DM the HS. They rout back to the woods by the exit hexes.
K4, I move my tanks to get shots at the concealed bazooka HS and the no longer broken bazooka HS. Walt managed to rally the HS while under DM.
Things look bad. I need two tanks to get off – I am still down on CVPs – and there are two bazookas blocking the exit.
A4, I shoot through the FW woods at the just rallied HS. And shoot and shoot. Couple ROFs, a CH, and the bazooka HS is gone. GONE, BABY, GONE!!!
K5, I can just run the three remaining tanks offboard. Walt’s one remaining bazooka nails one, but, it’s not like he can Intensive Fire, and, with no effect from two pathetic CC Reaction Fire attacks by a HS, my remaining two tanks exit for the win!!!
Gut feeling is that this is pro-American, despite being fairly even on ROAR. I feel I got lucky with shots on two turns to break, then eliminate one of the bazooka threats.
If Walt had his HIP HS in a paddy hex, or somewhere where he could have waited till Final Fire to shoot, he may well have taken out an additional tank the following American Prep Fire, which would probably crush the Korean chances.
Plus side – this only took us about an hour to play.
Extra plus - it was really, really good kimchi!