Hell's Highway Playtest

George Kelln

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Playtest HH4.2 Bearing the Brunt vs. Ernie Cameron

Germans launch a pre-dawn attack on the US Paratroopers hold up in the village of Mariaheide, Holland.

The initial platoon of halftrack-mounted panzergrenadiers, supported by a pair of Panther tanks, come rumbling down the secondary road west of Hell’s Highway. The Germans want to get behind the Americans to prevent them withdrawing off the map for immediate victory.

The US paratroopers, roused from their beds, clamber to their fighting positions, trying to stop the Germans. Some paratroopers don’t know what is going on and wait (No Move Counters), some paratroopers are Pinned in placed, to dumbfounded to react; while other paratroopers shoot wildly at fleeting glimpses of halftracks in the pre-dawn darkness.

Those US paratroopers who see that it is a German attack begin to react and move to deal with the German panzergrenadiers and halftracks in their back field. However, the pre-dawn light (LV Hindrance) prevents the paratroopers from taking accurate shots. In their hurry, the American support weapon teams failed to bring the necessary parts as both Bazooka, a 60mm mortar, and one of the two MMGs Malfunction. This firepower is greatly missed as the German Panthers and halftracks roamed the streets in the pre-dawn light.

The Germans’ reinforcements (Assault Engineer Platoon) rolled into the battle, the halftracks disgorging their engineers behind the church. Meanwhile the panzergrenadiers fought their way to the church, storming it supported by the Panther tanks.

A timely (non-CH) snake-eyes hit by a Panther tank struck a Concealed paratrooper squad on the 1st level of the church; the subsequent Boxcars on the MC resulted in the elimination of a HS and the surviving broken HS forced to rout back.

As the German closed the noose about the church, the US 9-1, 7-4-7, & 2x 3-3-7 prepared to defend it. Meanwhile the other American units fought their way to the church, unable to withdraw out of the village.

The last stand in the church by a US 9-1 & a Fanatic 3-3-7 HS was short-lived, while reinforcements (8-1, 8-0, 4x 7-4-7, & MMG) were cut off across the street in the St. Nicholas Convent; facing heavy fire, they were prevented from reaching the church.

An interesting scenario as the American can immediately win by exiting enough VP off the south edge of the map, but the German wins at game end if they control the church, so the Americans must defend long enough for the troops to withdraw. Each American MMC starts on a “No Move” counter, which can be removed if the MMC see a German unit or automatically at the end of Turn 3.

As always, great game Ernie Cameron!

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sushidog

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For the Campaign Game, have the OOBs or VCs been re-balanced at all? We found the onslaught of Panthers and armed HTs pretty tough for the Allies to deal with.
 

FMFCB

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During playtesting we found that buying max Fighter Bombers made the Panthers hide in the orchards. Most were destroyed by campain scenario 4. Don't use the FB to go after the HTs unless they are the AA type and have already fired.
The VC did changed during playtest too. Not sure about OOB.
 
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