RB12 The 138 of the 138th

[Gunner Scott]

Hi-
Getting ready to play RB 12 The 138 of the 138th today. The scenario looks interesting but boy was that perimeter a real pain to puzzle out. Special thanks to Klas M. for helping with the scenario perimeters in this scenario.

Played up to German turn 3 this evening and will finish up saturday. My buddy Bob has the russian scumbags and of course I am playing the heroic soldiers of the doomed 6th Army. So far it is a real nail biter of a scenario. The hero's of Germany are pushing hard against the Chemists house but have to be wary of a possible russian scumbag attack around the Commissars house. This is where I think the Reinforcements should be put to use, to help bolster the Germans thin defense around the Commissars house. So far losses for the Germans are two leaders and a squad. No losses for the russian scumbags. Great scenario thus far and am glad I am having a chance to play it.

Both Bob and I did talk about the perimeter situation and I tend to agree with him that the way it is represented give a more realistic feel of how disorganized a battle becomes once it starts. So as much as I dislike such complicated set ups, this time around it works out perfectly.

 

[Gunner Scott]

Here are some more details of the first two turns played, was too tired last night to really keep writing. I suspect Bob must have placed his mines along the level 0 hexes along the Volga to possibly prevent me from trying to achieve the Gaining of all level 0 hexes adjacent to the Volga VC. To me that is a suckers bet, if he gets ARTY, he could plaster my units along the volga with it.

Speaking of the russky OBA, poor Bob has not gotten any due to drawing red cards the first turn, so now he has 4 red cards in his draw pile but on his turn 2, he did manage to draw a black card, so there is a good possibility that I can have some 120 oba raining down on my square heads. My losses were due not to big shots but small shots and Hot dice from the russians, in both cases those shots were both 4 evens or 4 -1. So good shooting tex.

There three VC's and the Germans to win, must achieve one of them, control all level 0 hexes along the Volga, that is a suckers bet and will would just be too costly to achieve.

Capture two hexes where the pillbox is and the building next it, another VC that is a suckers bet due to the OBA being able to zero in on any Germans that come close to it.

Capture VP's in building locations within the Russian set up area without losing any buildings and too many CVP's (Russians get 1 VP for every 3 CVP they cause the Germans and recapture buildings ect ect) This probably the VC for the Germans to achieve since they can hide from the OBA as they approach the chemists house and adjacent buildings. Of course with the NKVD units in that area, the Russian ML goes up if any of the NKVD are known and within 4 hexes of Russian units. This has saved Bob's Russians bacon a couple of times so far.

Only two turns in and I have already written a lengthy recap of our game, goes to show that this scenario is both interesting and has I think alot of replayability, it looks on paper tough on both sides due to being spread out or dug in but once you get a good idea of what needs to be accomplished for both sides, I think then it will play out fairly evenly.

Scott

 

[Gunner Scott]

Howdy-

Bob and I did finish this one up with the Germans gaining Victory on Turn 5. Alot of mistakes were made by both of us as we tried to grok this action the first time around. But with this scenario being such an interesting situation for both sides, We decided to turn it around and give it another go this week.

Mistakes made were many, I was under the impression the buildings in the Russian set up areas counted as VP's for the Russians and so the my impression was the Germans had to wrest control many of those buildings to win on VP's, but that is not the case, all the Germans need do is take at least one building from the Russians and sit back or the better part of play is take W7, W8 X6, AA6, AA7 and Z7 in the northern set up section, that 6 VP's of buildings and thus the Russians would need 18 VP (1 VP for every 3CVP) to play catch up with the Germans or take buildings in the German set up areas. So both the Germans and the Russians would need to think about their respective set ups in this scenario.

2nd major mistake was letting the Russians conceal their guys freely, we thought CG8 was about concealment but it was not, its about having two snipers on map. The upside was a more challanging situation for the Germans, the downside was lots of counter clutter. No harm no foul in the end I suppose.

For the Russians, I would say use the 120's to pound the commissars house and try to take it from the Germans, there are 12 VP's alone with that building. Fortify all of the chemists house and place wire around it. Make it a death trap. Try to withdraw the Russians in the northern area back towards the chemists house.

Alot of options for both sides in this one and that is a rarity in modern ASL scenarios usually. But as I said earlier, we both like this scenario and want to give it a try again.


Scott

 

[Gunner Scott]

howdy-

Earlier this week, Bob came by for our rematch of 138 of the 138th with me taking the Russians. All I can say is my gamble failed so badly that I had to give up on turn two. My plan was HIP 90% of my assets in the wooden rubble hex adjacent to the commissars house (see circled red). I had my 9-1, commissar with DC, 458 with MMG, 458 with MMG and 458 with HMG HIPed. I thought Bob would just hunker down in the kommissars house, but I was wrong, he sent a HS into the wooden rubble and found my boys.

He then managed to manuever his 9-2 with and a couple of squads with MMG and HMG into the 1st level of X15. In my prep I failed to get OBA by drawing a red card, but I did fire 24 FP from my stack into the 9-2 led units in X15 and scored a 2 check (no RoF). Bob passes his check with every body just pinning, ok I can live that, now all I need do is survive his return fire in his D phase which I do easily. I then advance into the rubble hex that is apart of the commissars house crushed the concealed HS and now I thing I am looking pretty good. Adjacent to me is a concealed squad with a DC up on the 2nd level but with a commissar with me and a 328 NKVD guy within 4 hexes I should be able to survive him chucking a DC at me from the upper levels.

What I did not count on was that hex Z17 Theater building did NOT block Bob's 9-2 kill stack which I thought it did. So Bob fires a 20+1 at me and rolls snack eyes, my personal morel began to sink as my squads and leaders all broke, then to add to the carnage, Bob chucks the DC into my broken guys and rolls a three. At that point, I throw in the towel and say lets try again Monday but this time I wont try to gamble like I did with this game.

Scott

 

[Jacometti]

Stacking is just a recipe for disaster. Sometimes you can get away with it.

But it is a lesson easily learnt. Your stacking multiplies his firepower, in this case by a factor 3.

 

[Gunner Scott]

It was a gamble that failed but one that at least the scenario allowed and did not limit as in most geo board designs. With RB12 138th, you have alot of options for both sides as far as how they can conduct their attack and defense. Obviously alot of thought went into this design and it did not feel like it was scripted IE I HAVE to this or that to win. The Russians can attempt to retake the commissars house, or they can attempt to push back the Germans to the north and more. The Germans for their part have plenty of options too, they can try to overrun the chemists house, push the Russians south along the Volga or strike out from the Commissars house and probably more options available. Sadly so many scenario designs are so heavily scripted that they are balanced but not fun to play.

Bob and were thinking about retrying RB12 but I think we are going to move on to one of the following: RB14 Anchoring the Line, RB 13 Sandbanks of the Volga, DftB 122 Kommissar or DftB 133 A deadly landscape. All look like must plays and then perhaps play the Bled White CG.

Scott

Stacking is just a recipe for disaster. Sometimes you can get away with it.

But it is a lesson easily learnt. Your stacking multiplies his firepower, in this case by a factor 3.