AAR - About His Shadowy Sides - BoF4

Major Issues

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Played this at ASLOK against Pete Viglucci. He chose the scenario. I think we rolled for sides. This may have been the roll that decided the game.

The Germans are trying to hold some buildings on board 17 with scrubs and concealment counters. The Soviets get a dozen squads and two KV-2s


kv2thUGAKOKUQsm.jpg

equipped with both radios and 152mm guns, which fire shells heavier than my ex-wife. The Germans get 8 squads and 4 Mk. IVs as reinforcements. Soviets have to take buildings or kill 3 more tanks than they lose.

My subtle strategy was to park a KV adjacent to or in VBM to a German unit, then run up and finish them off with infantry. The light mortar and MMG moved up the middle of board 19 to cause grief to the German infantry reinforcements.

Pete's line of 236s, 127s and question marks was not able to hold me back, and I moved a KV over to help interdict the reinforcements when they crossed the open ground. It was ugly. Pickett's Charge was a daisy-picking picnic in comparison. Between the KV, the MMG, and the mortar, 1-1/2 squads made it across the open ground.

The Mk IVs rumbled on. They have as much chance of destroying a KV as Donald Trump has of winning Mexico's Man Of The Year Award. Two of them were promptly blown up. Pete threw in the towel. For him, the scenario was as much fun as an ingrown toenail.

Fairly even on ROAR, though I don't know how. Not recommended.
 

Jacometti

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The Mk IVs rumbled on. They have as much chance of destroying a KV as Donald Trump has of winning Mexico's Man Of The Year Award. Two of them were promptly blown up. Pete threw in the towel. For him, the scenario was as much fun as an ingrown toenail.

Fairly even on ROAR, though I don't know how. Not recommended.
The Panzer IVs are fantastic weapons against the infantry and can easily dump their Smoke Dispenser on the KVs on the move. They should not even try to attack the KVs, just whack their infantry support and leave them for the expensive driving bunkers they are.

This is a complex match of OBs.....I am not sure you really got it if it ended so easily. I have played great games of this scenario and would take either side.
 

buser333

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I just started this game as well and rolled the Germans (whom I thought upon first glance were at a severe disadvantage). We are about halfway through and it looks as though it will be a bitter fight 'til the end. As JR mentioned, smoke will be your friend. Plus the Russians do not have a lot of manpower to take and hold the 8 hexes.
 

CTKnudsen

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I thought this one pretty advantaged to the German, actually. Barring some really bad luck, the German infantry is enough to hold off the Russians, and the PzIVs just break into 2 teams, each of which has the sole job of ensuring that the KVs are shrouded in smoke whenever they aren't moving. Since a moving KV2 can't hit a bloody thing, and a smoked-in KV2 can't hit a bloody thing, it becomes an infantry fight where the Germans, if reasonably well handled, can fairly easily stop the Russians from winning.
 

Major Issues

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I thought this one pretty advantaged to the German, actually. Barring some really bad luck, the German infantry is enough to hold off the Russians, and the PzIVs just break into 2 teams, each of which has the sole job of ensuring that the KVs are shrouded in smoke whenever they aren't moving. Since a moving KV2 can't hit a bloody thing, and a smoked-in KV2 can't hit a bloody thing, it becomes an infantry fight where the Germans, if reasonably well handled, can fairly easily stop the Russians from winning.
So the Russians have taken the village, the Germans have a leader and 1-1/2 squads left 12 hexes away, and the Germans are supposed to pull out a win by firing Smoke??????
 

CTKnudsen

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So the Russians have taken the village, the Germans have a leader and 1-1/2 squads left 12 hexes away, and the Germans are supposed to pull out a win by firing Smoke??????
Ouch - your opponent must have been rolling quite well to do all that damage to your stacks. And that's the key, to get your infantry into the village. But if the Russian throws a lot north to stop your reinforcements, that's troops he's not using to take the village. Delay, skulk, all that stuff in the south while you rush into the village from the north. And keep the KVs either moving or smoked, then use whatever is left AFV-wise to break his infantry. The Russian only has 2 leaders, so will have issues rallying guys if he's not really smart about how he places them.
 

Jacometti

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So the Russians have taken the village, the Germans have a leader and 1-1/2 squads left 12 hexes away, and the Germans are supposed to pull out a win by firing Smoke??????
I think what we are gently saying is that you and your opponent may not have fully grokked the essence of this scenario.....and that is not unusual on first playing of a Friendly Fire scenario. They are at the complex end of the spectrum.

Did the German reinforcements enter in stacks? Did they stay outside 16 hex range of the MMG to halve the fire as Area Fire? Did they stay more than 20 hexes away from the MTR to allow it no shots at all?

There is really no reason to get destroyed upon entry for the German reinforcements. As another poster said: all Russian forces engaged with the German reinforcements do not engage in the village.
 

xenovin

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I think what we are gently saying is that you and your opponent may not have fully grokked the essence of this scenario.....and that is not unusual on first playing of a Friendly Fire scenario. They are at the complex end of the spectrum.
Vince, sounds like next time you need to Smoke the essence.
 

J. R. Tracy

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For the opening setup the Germans need to set up well back, with the lightest possible screen forward. Anything up front greeting the Soviets will be lost, so don't overdo it.
 
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