Uncle_Duke
Senior Member
J59 Friday the 13th
11/23/2019
As German, vs BL
A remarkably unsatisfying scenario. German armor isn't even remotely suited to the task at hand, with limited HE ammunition and a dearth of MGs. I'd have happily traded all of the JgPz IVs for a Panther or Tiger.
ASL 162 Armored Car Savikurki
12/04/2019
As Finnish, vs MB
Gave the Soviets the balance this time, due to a heavily pro-Finnish record. This playthrough proved that I can lose as either side. Short. Dicey. Fun if you're into the Winter War and one-off Finnish armored cars.
J122 Bloody Bois Jacques
12/14/2019
As US vs JB
American paratroopers fighting their way through the woods near Foy, Belgium. Germans have some interesting SSRs that presage the PFZ rules by four years. German observers were very out of place, and OBA utterly ineffective. This allowed the Americans to locally overwhelm the defense, turn a flank, then exit for the win.
ASL1 Fighting Withdrawal
12/18/2019
As Soviet vs MB
A classic for a reason, this one came down to the final move phase of the final turn. If either side stops to shoot, they'll lose, victory comes from a mad dash towards the exits in the MPh, RTPh, and APh interspersed by whatever shots you can take in the DFPh and AFPh. Planning movement is key to both sides, and an unfortunate change of wind can throw all of that careful planning out the window at a moment's notice. A wonderful way to wrap up 2019, I'd play this one again as either side in a heartbeat.
DASL20 Smoke the Kents!
01/07/2020
As German vs MB
My introduction to the world of DASL. The Germans have a bit of a weird force composition, in that they're infantry poor but armor rich. The defending British have more infantry than the Germans and a load of ATRs, which pack plenty of punch to knock out the tanks at any range likely to be encountered in the map. I think the onus is on the German player to properly understand how to use armor to support an infantry assault in close quarters. I did not, and my attack failed as a result.
ASL147 A Stiff Fight
01/11/2020
As Gurkha vs RH
This foray into the jungles of Malaysia fortuitously coincided with my finishing HP Wilmott's excellent book "Empires in the Balance." This is a short nasty jungle fight that has everything one could ask for except flamethrowers. Dice were very much on the Gurkhas' side this time around-- it's not often that a force in ASL will end a scenario with more leaders than they started, and the addition of not one but two 8-1s turned the few surviving Gurkha squads into nigh-unstoppable monsters.
FT269 End of the Rope...
01/20/2020
As Japanese vs CH
One of probably only a small handful of scenarios set during the Japanese attack on Hong Kong in late 1941. An interesting premise in that it features a mixed group of British and Canadians attacking a company or so of Japanese entrenched on a hilltop-- and the Canadians are represented by Allied Minor counters. I think this one is going to turn out very pro-Japanese in the long run, as the effectiveness of of British fire support depends heavily on the weather cooperating-- an unlikely occurrence since there is Light Rain at start, and that the Japanese can easily dodge most of it by using a reverse slope defense.
RB4 To the Rescue
02/17/2020
As German vs CB
NOTE: This scenario played with all applicable RB overlays, which may swing the balance pro-German by adding another potential escape gully in FF11 and EE12.
This is what Stalingrad fighting is all about. A group of Germans have gone and gotten themselves stranded at the Volga end of Landing Strip Gully. A rescue group starting out in the factory complex must break them out. Our playthrough was defined by intense back and forth fighting in the Chemist's shop as the stranded Germans made a run for Hall 4. A group of Soviet reinforcements managed to cut them off from the north, and even established a firebase in Hall 6a, but to no avail. A hard fought German win.
J150 The Sangshak Redemption
02/20/2020
As Japanese vs MB
Another PTO classic. An initial Banzai charge supported by mortar fire got the Japanese into the objective area in short order. Then the Gurkhas showed up and the Japanese had to hold on for dear life in three turns of house to house fighting. When the dust finally settled, the Japanese won, but the issue had been in doubt throughout the last CCPh.
11/23/2019
As German, vs BL
A remarkably unsatisfying scenario. German armor isn't even remotely suited to the task at hand, with limited HE ammunition and a dearth of MGs. I'd have happily traded all of the JgPz IVs for a Panther or Tiger.
ASL 162 Armored Car Savikurki
12/04/2019
As Finnish, vs MB
Gave the Soviets the balance this time, due to a heavily pro-Finnish record. This playthrough proved that I can lose as either side. Short. Dicey. Fun if you're into the Winter War and one-off Finnish armored cars.
J122 Bloody Bois Jacques
12/14/2019
As US vs JB
American paratroopers fighting their way through the woods near Foy, Belgium. Germans have some interesting SSRs that presage the PFZ rules by four years. German observers were very out of place, and OBA utterly ineffective. This allowed the Americans to locally overwhelm the defense, turn a flank, then exit for the win.
ASL1 Fighting Withdrawal
12/18/2019
As Soviet vs MB
A classic for a reason, this one came down to the final move phase of the final turn. If either side stops to shoot, they'll lose, victory comes from a mad dash towards the exits in the MPh, RTPh, and APh interspersed by whatever shots you can take in the DFPh and AFPh. Planning movement is key to both sides, and an unfortunate change of wind can throw all of that careful planning out the window at a moment's notice. A wonderful way to wrap up 2019, I'd play this one again as either side in a heartbeat.
DASL20 Smoke the Kents!
01/07/2020
As German vs MB
My introduction to the world of DASL. The Germans have a bit of a weird force composition, in that they're infantry poor but armor rich. The defending British have more infantry than the Germans and a load of ATRs, which pack plenty of punch to knock out the tanks at any range likely to be encountered in the map. I think the onus is on the German player to properly understand how to use armor to support an infantry assault in close quarters. I did not, and my attack failed as a result.
ASL147 A Stiff Fight
01/11/2020
As Gurkha vs RH
This foray into the jungles of Malaysia fortuitously coincided with my finishing HP Wilmott's excellent book "Empires in the Balance." This is a short nasty jungle fight that has everything one could ask for except flamethrowers. Dice were very much on the Gurkhas' side this time around-- it's not often that a force in ASL will end a scenario with more leaders than they started, and the addition of not one but two 8-1s turned the few surviving Gurkha squads into nigh-unstoppable monsters.
FT269 End of the Rope...
01/20/2020
As Japanese vs CH
One of probably only a small handful of scenarios set during the Japanese attack on Hong Kong in late 1941. An interesting premise in that it features a mixed group of British and Canadians attacking a company or so of Japanese entrenched on a hilltop-- and the Canadians are represented by Allied Minor counters. I think this one is going to turn out very pro-Japanese in the long run, as the effectiveness of of British fire support depends heavily on the weather cooperating-- an unlikely occurrence since there is Light Rain at start, and that the Japanese can easily dodge most of it by using a reverse slope defense.
RB4 To the Rescue
02/17/2020
As German vs CB
NOTE: This scenario played with all applicable RB overlays, which may swing the balance pro-German by adding another potential escape gully in FF11 and EE12.
This is what Stalingrad fighting is all about. A group of Germans have gone and gotten themselves stranded at the Volga end of Landing Strip Gully. A rescue group starting out in the factory complex must break them out. Our playthrough was defined by intense back and forth fighting in the Chemist's shop as the stranded Germans made a run for Hall 4. A group of Soviet reinforcements managed to cut them off from the north, and even established a firebase in Hall 6a, but to no avail. A hard fought German win.
J150 The Sangshak Redemption
02/20/2020
As Japanese vs MB
Another PTO classic. An initial Banzai charge supported by mortar fire got the Japanese into the objective area in short order. Then the Gurkhas showed up and the Japanese had to hold on for dear life in three turns of house to house fighting. When the dust finally settled, the Japanese won, but the issue had been in doubt throughout the last CCPh.