MajorDomo
DM? Chuck H2O in his face
My European vacation started in Verona at the Italian Open. Arriving in Verona at 11:30pm on Thursday, September 3rd, I had until Friday 2:30 pm to enjoy the facilities.
The hotel is about a 10-minute cab ride Southeast of city, situated in a rural environment, much like parts of Wisconsin. After finishing a rather western style breakfast buffet style, scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice, fruit, croissants and coffee the pool was the next stop.
Skipping the Jacuzzi and large poolside bar, I alighted in the main pool, perfect situated to view the very attractive Italian women in very skimpy bikinis. City locals paid a fee and also enjoyed the very large pool area. Already, this was quite an upgrade from the usual ASL tournament scenery.
Round #1
My first round opponent, Mario Ales, hails from Sicily. We had three choices, Kemp at Melikhovo (J94), Deadeye Smoyer (SP43) or T5 The Pouppevile Exit and four hours to complete the round.
We each threw out a different scenario and Deadeye Smoyer resulted. Laboring under the misconception that the Panther is revealed when any American unit gains LOS to it, I fearlessly bid A2 - Amis subtract the 9-1 AL and one 347 despite the Roar 43-29 German advantage. Each round in the tourney had three balances for each side, so you could bid A0, A1, A2 or A3 - A0 being Amis no balance. Adds another dimension to scenario selection.
Deadeye Smoyer is based upon a firefight in Cologne, where a panther astride a church destroys a Sherman and then a gyro stabilized Pershing approaches and knocks out the panther while in motion. I saw the video on Utube.
The Amis had seven 667s, two leaders, MMg, Sherman, Halftrack (6 MG) and a turn two pershing, whose mission was to keep the panther from LOS to either K4 or M5 and gain control of the two story building P4 at game end.
Germans have three 447s, three 436s, two leaders, MMG, LMG, PSK, 6 dummies and the HIP panther (as long as it is hull down next to a wall). The Amis can enter on any board edge, which we took to mean that the Amis must all enter on the same edge.
This was Mario's setup as I remember it.
I entered on the west edge as it is closest to the victory building (VB) and has the most protected approach, provided you get onboard in one piece. My Sherman entered first, SM'd some covering smoke for the infantry and moved to row O2-V5 to support street-crossing support for the Ami infantry. I mistakenly thought the Sherman would expose the panther (if it was in hex P2), and then move on after a suffering a something like a limited vision "6" to hit. After asking whether the Sherman "saw" the panther and discovering the reality of HIP panthers, the Sherman was in trouble. My best option was to continue to U6, hull down to an adjacent T6 unit. I decided to sacrifice the HT, moving around and VBMing the T6 unit., the T6 436 found two fausts, blazing the HT. My infantry stormed on board through the smoke, discovered the eastern unit was a dummy and were well on their way to the VB.
Mario skulked in his turn one, pinning the 436 on a PF try. My 2nd saw Ami infantry deploy and rush the VB behind some infantry smoke; one HS actually reached the O4 stairwell revealing two more dummies.
Oops! Reality then took a bite out of my butt. The eastern screening force were all non-dummy units, the H9 unit held the PSK and certainly the panther was hull down in H7 - that was the German strategy, keep the panther alive. I now understood the 43-29 ROAR German result. So I figured that my two tanks had to take the panther down and there is no time like the present to tame a cat. The Sherman started up and headed to J6 and a side shot vs. the panther, if the panther turned then the pershing (entering at Y10) could CE his way to M6 for a decent gyro shot... then move to I5, mutual hull down positions with the panther. The Sherman never made it as it entered the panther's bore sited location, got toasted but the crew survived and advanced into another VB stairwell. The pershing made his run, panther IF'd, pershing gun dueled, both missed, ditto my IF. The hulldown duel continued as the panther put 3 shots into the wall, the pershing 3 also, including APCR - but the a "1,2" on an IF shot and the panther was no more, snakes with the CMG killed the HS/PSK and I was back in business.
Whew, I had been lucky, now to mop up the three squads in the VB. The pershing kept the screening force from crossing the open ground in back of the VB, killing two outright. The mop up went fairly well, although the Germans now had a hero. It came down to a 436/lmg/hero in hex Q4 second floor. They were in melee with two 347s, I prepped into the Melee, broke my 347, his 436 and wounded the hero, advanced in with two 667s/9-1 for a final 3-1 down one - rolled boxcars game over. (0-1)
Round#2
Next I played Paolo Cariolato in our only common scenario, Vossenack Church (DB58). We each bid G2 - replace two Ami 546s with 666s. He then won the dice off and I setup my Amis.
I had played Vossenack before and felt the Amis needed to get the V9 setup group into the church, then deploy like crazy and make the Germans dig them out of the 8 church locations. The church is a special Dispatches from the Bunker SSR (since clarified in the next issue). It has two factory hexes (with cellars), a steeple above one factory hex (with LOS only outside the factory hexes) and a two story single hex building with a cellar. The scenario is a one time must play, in your face fight.
Not much variety as three setup areas are specified for each side. Certainly the 548s will smoke and assault move with winter camouflage from the South into shell holes. Similarly the Ami will put a 666/Mmg/8-0 in P6 and fire at the 548s with a fire lane.
Fast-forward to game time, the 548s smoke and advance, a platoon of 467s moves through the O9/P9 stone buildings North of the church. The third group advance with winter camouflage towards the O6/N6 wall defenders aiming to silence the Mmg in P6. Finally, a 467/Lmg assault moves to U6 to control the road west of the church.
After my first game, Mario graciously game me the dice. No boxcars this game!
The Ami exposed the assault moving, concealed, shell holed 548s with the initial shot, breaking a few with ROF, other units piling on a couple of casualty reductions. In my first turn, the Amis in U9 put down infantry smoke in T6 and CX'd to T7, surviving a 4+1 shot. Another 2 squads made the run, one breaking and the Amis advanced into the church.
The Northern 467s prepped into the church, no damage, the 548s regrouped, added a 467 and into the shell holes they went. Same result, Mmg ROF, good rolls, end of the 548s, two half squads remaining to begin their stint as POW labor farmers in North Carolina.
Paolo conceded, his elite force had been decimated (1-1).
Friday night buffet dinner was something I haven't experienced at other ASL events, a grand buffet - cheeses, artichoke pastries, a rice dish, fish, onion quiche and about twenty bottles of good Bardolino wine to wash it all down. I felt like tipsy Roman.
Paolo and I then set up a quick game of First and Inches for a friendly game and his Americans stopped my Germans pretty handily, stopping my first advances, much the reverse of the Vossenack Church outcome.
Round#3
Played Alberto Biserni in our only commonly selected scenario - AP22 Ghost Riders. Roar had it 13-8 for the Russians, I bid R3 (German reinforcements enter on turn 1, both 227 crews are fanatic, both guns emplaced and two Russian 447s are replaced by 426s), Alberto bid R2 (same as R3 except German reinforcements enter on turn two). Alberto's is probably the right bid. This was my setup.
My strategy was to defend the O6 buildings with both MGs firing diagonally to protect the O3-Q3 open ground area. Additionally mines and both ATRs would provide some Anti-tank assets in this area. I figured that with the O6 buildings and the four buildings behind the woods (B6, D7, F7, F9) somewhat secluded, that my reinforcing Russian 628 platoon supported by 3 T34s would insure 5 of the 26 buildings the Russian needed for victory.
Alberto probed the left (all directions from the Russian view), with a squad, Russian Mmg fired - KIA, next a 227 pushed a 75* Art gun to 11C1, the other Hmg fired - "3", dead fanatic crew. A platoon probed the middle, uncovering the dummies and engaging the 426 in Melee for a couple of turns. The Italian Hmg/Mmg kill stack moved through the woods to YC1 to support the middle probe. The Italian reinforcement platoon came up the left, as did the German 548s as riders on the two PZIVs and PZIII.
So far, so good for the defenders. My Russians skulked (winter camouflage in effect for all Russian, German and Italian elites). Turn two Italian advances, resulted in a three broken squads on the left, but with solid progress in the middle as the kill stack took its toll on the 426s and the Alberto ran the three 548 riders all the way down to O4/P4, where the Russian MGs shot them off the tanks without any casualties.
Turns three and four saw the Axis make huge gains. The 548s acted like 548s, eliminating the two ATR squads in CC; the middle group/kill stack took the middle buildings, three of my broken squads routing to the H7-J8 woods line. My Hmg malfunctioned and I forgot to advance a skulking Mmg (which was promptly eliminated by an overrunning PZIV).
My reinforcements had a difficult mission; they would be my only unbroken units. I still held the four secluded buildings behind the woods (and technically O10 as he had not yet occupied it), but a counterattack was needed. A PZIV moved behind the woods to harass the brokies, a 447/Lmg double timed down the "A" row to threaten the B6 building.
Alberto later confessed that he thought my reinforcements could enter on the South edge and positioned a tank and the kill stack to cover that possibility. This diversion of firepower was fortunate for me. One T34/628 rider moved to G3 and unloaded to threaten the H3 building. Three of the brokies rallied, combined with a 628/9-1 and occupied the G6/G7/H7 woods to threaten the I4 through I7 buildings. The last T34 VBM'd the D6 building and a 628 moved into CC with the Italian 447.
A fierce two-turn firefight raged over the I4 through I7 buildings. Each side generated a hero (mine on a 30+1 shot). Anyway, time ran out with one half Italian turn remaining. I held five buildings (F7, F9, D8 behind the woods), along with H3 and I5. The D6 building was host to the continuing Melee between a 628 and 447 with a T34 in bypass. All the German tanks were destroyed or abandoned; two Russian tanks remained, the VBMing Russian T34 and the immobile one in G3 both with malfed main guns.
Unfortunately, time had expired for this round. Adjudication was virtually impossible, so we rolled high dice for the win, Alberto rolled an "8", I rolled a "9" - as close as the scenario and an end to an excellent battle. (2-1).
Another excellent buffet followed, featuring personal pizzas, cheeses, pasta and wines.
Round 4
Next round was the "old classics" - Totsugeki (A60), Urban Guerillas (J1) and Commando Schenke (TAC12). Enrico Catanzaro, the other Sicilian and director of the Forum's VASL tourney was my opponent. Totsugeki was our only common scenario.
With ROAR at 148/113 pro Japanese, we both bid J1 (the Japanese must eliminate or capture all three guns instead of merely occupying the gun hexes). Enrico won the dice-off and took the attacking Japanese. Attached is my defense, as I never played the Chinese in this classic battle.
The 337/Mmg/9-1 in V4 was HIP as was the Y3 squad. Both HIP squads were the Dare-Death also. My plan was to put fire lanes from both Mmgs through the Kunai field in W3, W4 and X2, jamming up any attack through this corridor. The Lmgs on my right would try to slow any flanking attacks with fire lanes. The Bamboo Dare-Death squad was there for ambush since advance into bamboo requires CX, plus the +1 for ambush in PTO terrain. I hoped to stripe some Japs before the X5-Z4 palm trees line is reached and the Chinese then are hard pressed to contain the Japanese.
Enrico's Japanese came right up the middle, the usual avenue of attack in this scenario. The fire lanes were effective, rolling "4"s; striping and maintaining control over the kunai. Two 447s and a leader moved to Y2, one at a time after some searching half squads failed to expose the Y3 squad; who then opened up in defensive final fire at 6+1, rolling snakeyes. The leader and 447 yatzeed the roll, leader dying and the squad casualty reducing.
The Japanese grimly fought their way up the X and Y hex rows, gaining the orchard s at the end of turn 4. The cost was high for the Sons of Nippon. I rolled excellent dice, reducing several Japanese squads; the Dare Death squads both eliminating 447s in CC, one even then grabbed a DC. My Chinese suffered little, a couple of broken squads the extent of my damage.
The situation was desperate for the reduced Japanese force; they launched some desperate CCs to reverse the situation, killing two squads and a leader in turn 5. It was too late as the guns in Y7 and BB8 were screened by eight 337s and safe. (3-1)
We then broke for a wonderful sit down dinner featuring beef carpaccio, followed by the excellent tortellini, pork, chicken and some excellent Bardolino wine. It was quite a Roman feast.
Round 5
This round's choices were a bit more complicated as you could pick from one of three PTO scenarios or opt out of PTO entirely and pick from another three scenarios. If you opt out of the PTO scenarios, however, and your opponent doesn't then you lose any similar bids without resorting to a dice roll.
Anyway, Stefano Isella, my opponent, opted out of PTO and we ended up playing FrF11 - Rostov Redemption with me bidding G1 (add a 7-0 leader to the Russians). This scenario is a city fight on boards 20 (A-P) and 21 (R-G). Nine German 467s, a fanatic 338/FT, three leaders, Mmg, two Lmgs and a PZIIIH must cross board 20 and clear all Russians from a two hex radius (21Z2) in the middle of a u-shaped, 7 hex wooden building. Encircled Russians do not count for the 2 hex radius, so the Russians in upper building levels can be rendered useless through upper level encirclement.
I had played this scenario once as the Russians. My setup was fairly far back towards the victory building and the Germans won easily. Thus my G1 bid.
He had four 527s, four 447s, three leaders, Lmg, Atr, 45L AT gun and a 328/Hmg (required to set up in the victory building). Sefano set up far forward with three 527 and a 447/Lmg. I was worried that the AT gun might also be forward to kill the PZIII on turn one.
I deployed, searched ideal AT gun locations, used the tank to VBM the 447/Lmg on my right and double timed a platoon at the 447/Lmg. The 447 passed his PAATC and immobilized the motion tank on turn one; two searching half squads were broken (the AT gun would turn out to be in the victory building). The turn wasn't a total failure as I broke the 447/Lmg in the advance fire phase (eventually capturing him) and isolated two 527s from retreat paths. They struggled most of the game to get back to the victory building, rushing it in turn 7, unsuccessfully.
Board 20 is treacherous with its angled streets and difficult to play a fallback defense on. Additionally there is a fire raging in woods right of the victory building, which offers cover and spreads quickly due to the mild breeze.
I made good progress and occupied the large stone building in the middle of board 20, breaking its 527 defender (who routed towards the victory building). Things got tougher, when one of the isolated 527s took an assault fire shot and broke the German 9-1/467/467 in the stone board 20 building. Routing upstairs, I had one good 467 in the large building and was open to a counterattack. Luckily, the 9-1 rallied under DM and a 467 heat-of-battled into a 468 plus a 149 hero. This center group had the mission of moving through the blaze smoke to the rubble in front of the victory building, eliminating a rubble based 447 and then getting into the victory building while the 328/Hmg rained fire down on them.
The HMG kept ROF and kept breaking my center assault force. My right platoon, plus the abandoned tank crew ran through the woods and made the victory building from the right (we had a Melee, where a blaze forced each side to withdraw on the right). The crew grabbed a stairwell and soon the Hmg was upper level encircled.
Turn 5 saw most of the Russian die for failure to rout or in CC and I had two turns to keep the two straggling 527s out of the building, destroy the gun in the back hex of the building and keep the two stairwells secure. It came down to turn 7, when his repaired Hmg on level 2 needed to break a crew occupying a ground level stairwell and a 247 on level two of the wooden building (broken units cannot maintain upper level encirclement). The crew didn't break. (4-1)
My result was good for second place; the prize was the latest AP pack with ASL's bocage rules (bocage is the most FOOBAR part of ASL in my opinion).
Fabrizio Da Pa won the tourney with a perfect 5-0 score. He later drove me to Verona, his hometown, showed me around and we had an enjoyable dinner. My Italian vacation had started with a bang.
If you like ASL, great food and have a desire to see a very nice part of the world, then I would certainly recommend this tournament.
Rich Domovic
The hotel is about a 10-minute cab ride Southeast of city, situated in a rural environment, much like parts of Wisconsin. After finishing a rather western style breakfast buffet style, scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice, fruit, croissants and coffee the pool was the next stop.
Skipping the Jacuzzi and large poolside bar, I alighted in the main pool, perfect situated to view the very attractive Italian women in very skimpy bikinis. City locals paid a fee and also enjoyed the very large pool area. Already, this was quite an upgrade from the usual ASL tournament scenery.
Round #1
My first round opponent, Mario Ales, hails from Sicily. We had three choices, Kemp at Melikhovo (J94), Deadeye Smoyer (SP43) or T5 The Pouppevile Exit and four hours to complete the round.
We each threw out a different scenario and Deadeye Smoyer resulted. Laboring under the misconception that the Panther is revealed when any American unit gains LOS to it, I fearlessly bid A2 - Amis subtract the 9-1 AL and one 347 despite the Roar 43-29 German advantage. Each round in the tourney had three balances for each side, so you could bid A0, A1, A2 or A3 - A0 being Amis no balance. Adds another dimension to scenario selection.
Deadeye Smoyer is based upon a firefight in Cologne, where a panther astride a church destroys a Sherman and then a gyro stabilized Pershing approaches and knocks out the panther while in motion. I saw the video on Utube.
The Amis had seven 667s, two leaders, MMg, Sherman, Halftrack (6 MG) and a turn two pershing, whose mission was to keep the panther from LOS to either K4 or M5 and gain control of the two story building P4 at game end.
Germans have three 447s, three 436s, two leaders, MMG, LMG, PSK, 6 dummies and the HIP panther (as long as it is hull down next to a wall). The Amis can enter on any board edge, which we took to mean that the Amis must all enter on the same edge.
This was Mario's setup as I remember it.
I entered on the west edge as it is closest to the victory building (VB) and has the most protected approach, provided you get onboard in one piece. My Sherman entered first, SM'd some covering smoke for the infantry and moved to row O2-V5 to support street-crossing support for the Ami infantry. I mistakenly thought the Sherman would expose the panther (if it was in hex P2), and then move on after a suffering a something like a limited vision "6" to hit. After asking whether the Sherman "saw" the panther and discovering the reality of HIP panthers, the Sherman was in trouble. My best option was to continue to U6, hull down to an adjacent T6 unit. I decided to sacrifice the HT, moving around and VBMing the T6 unit., the T6 436 found two fausts, blazing the HT. My infantry stormed on board through the smoke, discovered the eastern unit was a dummy and were well on their way to the VB.
Mario skulked in his turn one, pinning the 436 on a PF try. My 2nd saw Ami infantry deploy and rush the VB behind some infantry smoke; one HS actually reached the O4 stairwell revealing two more dummies.
Oops! Reality then took a bite out of my butt. The eastern screening force were all non-dummy units, the H9 unit held the PSK and certainly the panther was hull down in H7 - that was the German strategy, keep the panther alive. I now understood the 43-29 ROAR German result. So I figured that my two tanks had to take the panther down and there is no time like the present to tame a cat. The Sherman started up and headed to J6 and a side shot vs. the panther, if the panther turned then the pershing (entering at Y10) could CE his way to M6 for a decent gyro shot... then move to I5, mutual hull down positions with the panther. The Sherman never made it as it entered the panther's bore sited location, got toasted but the crew survived and advanced into another VB stairwell. The pershing made his run, panther IF'd, pershing gun dueled, both missed, ditto my IF. The hulldown duel continued as the panther put 3 shots into the wall, the pershing 3 also, including APCR - but the a "1,2" on an IF shot and the panther was no more, snakes with the CMG killed the HS/PSK and I was back in business.
Whew, I had been lucky, now to mop up the three squads in the VB. The pershing kept the screening force from crossing the open ground in back of the VB, killing two outright. The mop up went fairly well, although the Germans now had a hero. It came down to a 436/lmg/hero in hex Q4 second floor. They were in melee with two 347s, I prepped into the Melee, broke my 347, his 436 and wounded the hero, advanced in with two 667s/9-1 for a final 3-1 down one - rolled boxcars game over. (0-1)
Round#2
Next I played Paolo Cariolato in our only common scenario, Vossenack Church (DB58). We each bid G2 - replace two Ami 546s with 666s. He then won the dice off and I setup my Amis.
I had played Vossenack before and felt the Amis needed to get the V9 setup group into the church, then deploy like crazy and make the Germans dig them out of the 8 church locations. The church is a special Dispatches from the Bunker SSR (since clarified in the next issue). It has two factory hexes (with cellars), a steeple above one factory hex (with LOS only outside the factory hexes) and a two story single hex building with a cellar. The scenario is a one time must play, in your face fight.
Not much variety as three setup areas are specified for each side. Certainly the 548s will smoke and assault move with winter camouflage from the South into shell holes. Similarly the Ami will put a 666/Mmg/8-0 in P6 and fire at the 548s with a fire lane.
Fast-forward to game time, the 548s smoke and advance, a platoon of 467s moves through the O9/P9 stone buildings North of the church. The third group advance with winter camouflage towards the O6/N6 wall defenders aiming to silence the Mmg in P6. Finally, a 467/Lmg assault moves to U6 to control the road west of the church.
After my first game, Mario graciously game me the dice. No boxcars this game!
The Ami exposed the assault moving, concealed, shell holed 548s with the initial shot, breaking a few with ROF, other units piling on a couple of casualty reductions. In my first turn, the Amis in U9 put down infantry smoke in T6 and CX'd to T7, surviving a 4+1 shot. Another 2 squads made the run, one breaking and the Amis advanced into the church.
The Northern 467s prepped into the church, no damage, the 548s regrouped, added a 467 and into the shell holes they went. Same result, Mmg ROF, good rolls, end of the 548s, two half squads remaining to begin their stint as POW labor farmers in North Carolina.
Paolo conceded, his elite force had been decimated (1-1).
Friday night buffet dinner was something I haven't experienced at other ASL events, a grand buffet - cheeses, artichoke pastries, a rice dish, fish, onion quiche and about twenty bottles of good Bardolino wine to wash it all down. I felt like tipsy Roman.
Paolo and I then set up a quick game of First and Inches for a friendly game and his Americans stopped my Germans pretty handily, stopping my first advances, much the reverse of the Vossenack Church outcome.
Round#3
Played Alberto Biserni in our only commonly selected scenario - AP22 Ghost Riders. Roar had it 13-8 for the Russians, I bid R3 (German reinforcements enter on turn 1, both 227 crews are fanatic, both guns emplaced and two Russian 447s are replaced by 426s), Alberto bid R2 (same as R3 except German reinforcements enter on turn two). Alberto's is probably the right bid. This was my setup.
My strategy was to defend the O6 buildings with both MGs firing diagonally to protect the O3-Q3 open ground area. Additionally mines and both ATRs would provide some Anti-tank assets in this area. I figured that with the O6 buildings and the four buildings behind the woods (B6, D7, F7, F9) somewhat secluded, that my reinforcing Russian 628 platoon supported by 3 T34s would insure 5 of the 26 buildings the Russian needed for victory.
Alberto probed the left (all directions from the Russian view), with a squad, Russian Mmg fired - KIA, next a 227 pushed a 75* Art gun to 11C1, the other Hmg fired - "3", dead fanatic crew. A platoon probed the middle, uncovering the dummies and engaging the 426 in Melee for a couple of turns. The Italian Hmg/Mmg kill stack moved through the woods to YC1 to support the middle probe. The Italian reinforcement platoon came up the left, as did the German 548s as riders on the two PZIVs and PZIII.
So far, so good for the defenders. My Russians skulked (winter camouflage in effect for all Russian, German and Italian elites). Turn two Italian advances, resulted in a three broken squads on the left, but with solid progress in the middle as the kill stack took its toll on the 426s and the Alberto ran the three 548 riders all the way down to O4/P4, where the Russian MGs shot them off the tanks without any casualties.
Turns three and four saw the Axis make huge gains. The 548s acted like 548s, eliminating the two ATR squads in CC; the middle group/kill stack took the middle buildings, three of my broken squads routing to the H7-J8 woods line. My Hmg malfunctioned and I forgot to advance a skulking Mmg (which was promptly eliminated by an overrunning PZIV).
My reinforcements had a difficult mission; they would be my only unbroken units. I still held the four secluded buildings behind the woods (and technically O10 as he had not yet occupied it), but a counterattack was needed. A PZIV moved behind the woods to harass the brokies, a 447/Lmg double timed down the "A" row to threaten the B6 building.
Alberto later confessed that he thought my reinforcements could enter on the South edge and positioned a tank and the kill stack to cover that possibility. This diversion of firepower was fortunate for me. One T34/628 rider moved to G3 and unloaded to threaten the H3 building. Three of the brokies rallied, combined with a 628/9-1 and occupied the G6/G7/H7 woods to threaten the I4 through I7 buildings. The last T34 VBM'd the D6 building and a 628 moved into CC with the Italian 447.
A fierce two-turn firefight raged over the I4 through I7 buildings. Each side generated a hero (mine on a 30+1 shot). Anyway, time ran out with one half Italian turn remaining. I held five buildings (F7, F9, D8 behind the woods), along with H3 and I5. The D6 building was host to the continuing Melee between a 628 and 447 with a T34 in bypass. All the German tanks were destroyed or abandoned; two Russian tanks remained, the VBMing Russian T34 and the immobile one in G3 both with malfed main guns.
Unfortunately, time had expired for this round. Adjudication was virtually impossible, so we rolled high dice for the win, Alberto rolled an "8", I rolled a "9" - as close as the scenario and an end to an excellent battle. (2-1).
Another excellent buffet followed, featuring personal pizzas, cheeses, pasta and wines.
Round 4
Next round was the "old classics" - Totsugeki (A60), Urban Guerillas (J1) and Commando Schenke (TAC12). Enrico Catanzaro, the other Sicilian and director of the Forum's VASL tourney was my opponent. Totsugeki was our only common scenario.
With ROAR at 148/113 pro Japanese, we both bid J1 (the Japanese must eliminate or capture all three guns instead of merely occupying the gun hexes). Enrico won the dice-off and took the attacking Japanese. Attached is my defense, as I never played the Chinese in this classic battle.
The 337/Mmg/9-1 in V4 was HIP as was the Y3 squad. Both HIP squads were the Dare-Death also. My plan was to put fire lanes from both Mmgs through the Kunai field in W3, W4 and X2, jamming up any attack through this corridor. The Lmgs on my right would try to slow any flanking attacks with fire lanes. The Bamboo Dare-Death squad was there for ambush since advance into bamboo requires CX, plus the +1 for ambush in PTO terrain. I hoped to stripe some Japs before the X5-Z4 palm trees line is reached and the Chinese then are hard pressed to contain the Japanese.
Enrico's Japanese came right up the middle, the usual avenue of attack in this scenario. The fire lanes were effective, rolling "4"s; striping and maintaining control over the kunai. Two 447s and a leader moved to Y2, one at a time after some searching half squads failed to expose the Y3 squad; who then opened up in defensive final fire at 6+1, rolling snakeyes. The leader and 447 yatzeed the roll, leader dying and the squad casualty reducing.
The Japanese grimly fought their way up the X and Y hex rows, gaining the orchard s at the end of turn 4. The cost was high for the Sons of Nippon. I rolled excellent dice, reducing several Japanese squads; the Dare Death squads both eliminating 447s in CC, one even then grabbed a DC. My Chinese suffered little, a couple of broken squads the extent of my damage.
The situation was desperate for the reduced Japanese force; they launched some desperate CCs to reverse the situation, killing two squads and a leader in turn 5. It was too late as the guns in Y7 and BB8 were screened by eight 337s and safe. (3-1)
We then broke for a wonderful sit down dinner featuring beef carpaccio, followed by the excellent tortellini, pork, chicken and some excellent Bardolino wine. It was quite a Roman feast.
Round 5
This round's choices were a bit more complicated as you could pick from one of three PTO scenarios or opt out of PTO entirely and pick from another three scenarios. If you opt out of the PTO scenarios, however, and your opponent doesn't then you lose any similar bids without resorting to a dice roll.
Anyway, Stefano Isella, my opponent, opted out of PTO and we ended up playing FrF11 - Rostov Redemption with me bidding G1 (add a 7-0 leader to the Russians). This scenario is a city fight on boards 20 (A-P) and 21 (R-G). Nine German 467s, a fanatic 338/FT, three leaders, Mmg, two Lmgs and a PZIIIH must cross board 20 and clear all Russians from a two hex radius (21Z2) in the middle of a u-shaped, 7 hex wooden building. Encircled Russians do not count for the 2 hex radius, so the Russians in upper building levels can be rendered useless through upper level encirclement.
I had played this scenario once as the Russians. My setup was fairly far back towards the victory building and the Germans won easily. Thus my G1 bid.
He had four 527s, four 447s, three leaders, Lmg, Atr, 45L AT gun and a 328/Hmg (required to set up in the victory building). Sefano set up far forward with three 527 and a 447/Lmg. I was worried that the AT gun might also be forward to kill the PZIII on turn one.
I deployed, searched ideal AT gun locations, used the tank to VBM the 447/Lmg on my right and double timed a platoon at the 447/Lmg. The 447 passed his PAATC and immobilized the motion tank on turn one; two searching half squads were broken (the AT gun would turn out to be in the victory building). The turn wasn't a total failure as I broke the 447/Lmg in the advance fire phase (eventually capturing him) and isolated two 527s from retreat paths. They struggled most of the game to get back to the victory building, rushing it in turn 7, unsuccessfully.
Board 20 is treacherous with its angled streets and difficult to play a fallback defense on. Additionally there is a fire raging in woods right of the victory building, which offers cover and spreads quickly due to the mild breeze.
I made good progress and occupied the large stone building in the middle of board 20, breaking its 527 defender (who routed towards the victory building). Things got tougher, when one of the isolated 527s took an assault fire shot and broke the German 9-1/467/467 in the stone board 20 building. Routing upstairs, I had one good 467 in the large building and was open to a counterattack. Luckily, the 9-1 rallied under DM and a 467 heat-of-battled into a 468 plus a 149 hero. This center group had the mission of moving through the blaze smoke to the rubble in front of the victory building, eliminating a rubble based 447 and then getting into the victory building while the 328/Hmg rained fire down on them.
The HMG kept ROF and kept breaking my center assault force. My right platoon, plus the abandoned tank crew ran through the woods and made the victory building from the right (we had a Melee, where a blaze forced each side to withdraw on the right). The crew grabbed a stairwell and soon the Hmg was upper level encircled.
Turn 5 saw most of the Russian die for failure to rout or in CC and I had two turns to keep the two straggling 527s out of the building, destroy the gun in the back hex of the building and keep the two stairwells secure. It came down to turn 7, when his repaired Hmg on level 2 needed to break a crew occupying a ground level stairwell and a 247 on level two of the wooden building (broken units cannot maintain upper level encirclement). The crew didn't break. (4-1)
My result was good for second place; the prize was the latest AP pack with ASL's bocage rules (bocage is the most FOOBAR part of ASL in my opinion).
Fabrizio Da Pa won the tourney with a perfect 5-0 score. He later drove me to Verona, his hometown, showed me around and we had an enjoyable dinner. My Italian vacation had started with a bang.
If you like ASL, great food and have a desire to see a very nice part of the world, then I would certainly recommend this tournament.
Rich Domovic
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