Major Issues
Elder Member
Played Agony At Aunt Tovo's with Walt Harrar. He was the Russians, I was the Elite Italian Alpini. We had better food. And better looking troops.
January 1943 scenario, ground snow. Retreating Italians are trying to delay the Russian advance, while burning Nonna's homemade tomato gravy recipe to keep it from falling into enemy hands. Russians attack board 43, which has ugly ugly terrain, with lots of buildings on hills that require CX or minimum move to get into. The Russians can attack from two sides, with partisans entering from a 3rd side. Italians have only 5 squads, and three inadequate guns. Turn 4, they get a kick-ass force of 10 447s led by a 10-2. The Russians have 12 squads, 5 partisan squads, and 2 T-34s.
The Italians need to control at least 13 buildings south of the stream at game end. There are 24 total. The 5 initial squads can't hold off the Russians, but I was hoping to delay him until the reinforcements could come in on the west edge. The two artillery pieces were set up on a hill to blast the partisans in open ground as they entered. The AT gun was in the center of town, hoping for a side shot on a T34.
Walt held back 4 squads and the 7-0 to enter on turn 2 on the north edge. His onboard forces start out by blasting a giant kill stack at one of my concealed units - a LMG/ 447. He pins it. He charges a squad through the woods adjacent to it. I fire, cower, and do nothing. He charges another squad. I FPF and get a PTC. He rolls my sniper, which kills his 8-0. One squad fails his LLMC and breaks, the other pins. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than Donald Trump at a migrant worker picnic!!!
On my right, I had two squads defending the upfront buildings. Walt assault moves the two squads he has on that side. One shot breaks and ELRs a squad. My other shot KIAs the other squad.
Was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than Al Sharpton at a KKK rally!!!
His advancing fire breaks my pinned squad, but the damage was done. Of his 8 onboard squads, three are broken, and he only has 1 leader, who is nowhere near any of them. Good half-turn for me!
He had moved up his tanks, and one of them was two hexes away from my 47AT, though I had a front shot. My turn 1, I try for a DI, and fail. His Kill Stack breaks one of my squads on the right.
Turn 2, he enters one squad on the north to cover the bridge. The others aim for the stream in the NW corner. I have nothing but Italian dummies over there. There's a joke in there somewhere.
His partisans come charging on in open ground, right into the sights of my artillery pieces. FIRE!!! HIT!!! 1MC!!! Which his squad passes!!!
2nd gun - 11!!! MISS!!!
One partisan squad charges toward my guns. The others hang a right and head towards the SE buildings.
I break a squad under his tank, but get pinned adjacent to the tank. My other squad on my right breaks. The partisan squad that had moved adjacent to one of my artillery pieces gets blasted by an IF shot.
My second DI attempt is successful, and the crew fails their TC and bails out. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than a vegan at an all-you-can-eat pig roast!!!
I try to run my 7-0 up to his abandoned tank. I could move into a building adjacent, which would DM one of his squads, then try to kill the crew in CC. Great plan, but my 7-0 breaks in the street.
My squad next to the tank is broken and reduced. So of my initial 5 squads, one is dead, and 3 are broken. Only the HIP HMG squad remains.
Walt goes into CC with the 47AT crew, but it ends up a Melee.
My turn 3, I self rally my broken DMed squad on the right, creating an 8-0 in the process. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than the head of PETA at a dogfight!!!
I push a gun to the other side of the hill.
Walt reoccupies his T34. He gets into CC with one artillery crew with a partisan squad. Two other partisan squads and his 8-1 jump in with my newly-rallied 8-0 and 447. I lose everybody, but he loses the partisan 8-1 and a squad. He has two leaders left on board - one on the west side, one on the east side. He wuz representin'.
Walt AMs into the street with his 7-0 and a squad. I pin both with long range pistol shots from my gun crew. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than Simon Cowell at a yodeling festival!!!
My newly rallied 7-0 tries to make it to a broken squad, and breaks in the street again.
My turn 4, my reinforcements charge in on the west edge. With only one squad and one gun left, I feel I need to take some chances. I AM two squads, an 8-1 and the hero into the woods adjacent to one of his squads. If I break, I die. But all that happens is the hero loses concealment.
Colonel Fillippi charges up the hill with three squads next to a CX 337.
Two shots miss, and FPF breaks the 337.
Walt breaks the gun on his mobile tank. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than a nun at a wet T-shirt contest!!!
Walt shoots at my broken 7-0 with an adjacent 337, and rolls snake eyes. This reveals my HIP HMG and squad, who have been patiently waiting all game for a shot against someone moving in the open. Luckily, they pass their MCs.
I clear out the Russians west of the road, and Walt clears out my crew in Melee and my HS east of the road. So going in to the end game, we essentially each have 12 buildings, though technically Walt has not occupied a couple yet.
More shooting, more squads breaking on both sides. Turn 7, Walt decides he really needs to take a chance and try to repair his T-34's MA. As if you didn't see this coming, he rolls a 6 and has to advance in a negative direction.
'bye!!!
My hero runs across the street, DMs three units, and shoots a broken HS dead. My Man!!!
Walt called the game at the start of my turn 7. He had 4 GO squads and an immobilized tank left, and I was going to be able to take three buildings without being shot at in my turn. He didn't have the troops to be able to take all three back. So I would have won with 13 or 14 buildings, needing 13.
Walt definitely had bad luck, but me having my initial forces disappear so quickly and the inability of my guns to hurt the partisans helped keep this a close game. With units coming in and counterattacking from so many directions, this is a wild one. Recommended. Play it while drinking a nice bottle of red wine or vodka shots, depending on your side.
January 1943 scenario, ground snow. Retreating Italians are trying to delay the Russian advance, while burning Nonna's homemade tomato gravy recipe to keep it from falling into enemy hands. Russians attack board 43, which has ugly ugly terrain, with lots of buildings on hills that require CX or minimum move to get into. The Russians can attack from two sides, with partisans entering from a 3rd side. Italians have only 5 squads, and three inadequate guns. Turn 4, they get a kick-ass force of 10 447s led by a 10-2. The Russians have 12 squads, 5 partisan squads, and 2 T-34s.
The Italians need to control at least 13 buildings south of the stream at game end. There are 24 total. The 5 initial squads can't hold off the Russians, but I was hoping to delay him until the reinforcements could come in on the west edge. The two artillery pieces were set up on a hill to blast the partisans in open ground as they entered. The AT gun was in the center of town, hoping for a side shot on a T34.
Walt held back 4 squads and the 7-0 to enter on turn 2 on the north edge. His onboard forces start out by blasting a giant kill stack at one of my concealed units - a LMG/ 447. He pins it. He charges a squad through the woods adjacent to it. I fire, cower, and do nothing. He charges another squad. I FPF and get a PTC. He rolls my sniper, which kills his 8-0. One squad fails his LLMC and breaks, the other pins. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than Donald Trump at a migrant worker picnic!!!
On my right, I had two squads defending the upfront buildings. Walt assault moves the two squads he has on that side. One shot breaks and ELRs a squad. My other shot KIAs the other squad.
Was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than Al Sharpton at a KKK rally!!!
His advancing fire breaks my pinned squad, but the damage was done. Of his 8 onboard squads, three are broken, and he only has 1 leader, who is nowhere near any of them. Good half-turn for me!
He had moved up his tanks, and one of them was two hexes away from my 47AT, though I had a front shot. My turn 1, I try for a DI, and fail. His Kill Stack breaks one of my squads on the right.
Turn 2, he enters one squad on the north to cover the bridge. The others aim for the stream in the NW corner. I have nothing but Italian dummies over there. There's a joke in there somewhere.
His partisans come charging on in open ground, right into the sights of my artillery pieces. FIRE!!! HIT!!! 1MC!!! Which his squad passes!!!
2nd gun - 11!!! MISS!!!
One partisan squad charges toward my guns. The others hang a right and head towards the SE buildings.
I break a squad under his tank, but get pinned adjacent to the tank. My other squad on my right breaks. The partisan squad that had moved adjacent to one of my artillery pieces gets blasted by an IF shot.
My second DI attempt is successful, and the crew fails their TC and bails out. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than a vegan at an all-you-can-eat pig roast!!!
I try to run my 7-0 up to his abandoned tank. I could move into a building adjacent, which would DM one of his squads, then try to kill the crew in CC. Great plan, but my 7-0 breaks in the street.
My squad next to the tank is broken and reduced. So of my initial 5 squads, one is dead, and 3 are broken. Only the HIP HMG squad remains.
Walt goes into CC with the 47AT crew, but it ends up a Melee.
My turn 3, I self rally my broken DMed squad on the right, creating an 8-0 in the process. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than the head of PETA at a dogfight!!!
I push a gun to the other side of the hill.
Walt reoccupies his T34. He gets into CC with one artillery crew with a partisan squad. Two other partisan squads and his 8-1 jump in with my newly-rallied 8-0 and 447. I lose everybody, but he loses the partisan 8-1 and a squad. He has two leaders left on board - one on the west side, one on the east side. He wuz representin'.
Walt AMs into the street with his 7-0 and a squad. I pin both with long range pistol shots from my gun crew. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than Simon Cowell at a yodeling festival!!!
My newly rallied 7-0 tries to make it to a broken squad, and breaks in the street again.
My turn 4, my reinforcements charge in on the west edge. With only one squad and one gun left, I feel I need to take some chances. I AM two squads, an 8-1 and the hero into the woods adjacent to one of his squads. If I break, I die. But all that happens is the hero loses concealment.
Colonel Fillippi charges up the hill with three squads next to a CX 337.
Two shots miss, and FPF breaks the 337.
Walt breaks the gun on his mobile tank. Boy, was Walt ever mad!!! He was madder than a nun at a wet T-shirt contest!!!
Walt shoots at my broken 7-0 with an adjacent 337, and rolls snake eyes. This reveals my HIP HMG and squad, who have been patiently waiting all game for a shot against someone moving in the open. Luckily, they pass their MCs.
I clear out the Russians west of the road, and Walt clears out my crew in Melee and my HS east of the road. So going in to the end game, we essentially each have 12 buildings, though technically Walt has not occupied a couple yet.
More shooting, more squads breaking on both sides. Turn 7, Walt decides he really needs to take a chance and try to repair his T-34's MA. As if you didn't see this coming, he rolls a 6 and has to advance in a negative direction.
'bye!!!
My hero runs across the street, DMs three units, and shoots a broken HS dead. My Man!!!
Walt called the game at the start of my turn 7. He had 4 GO squads and an immobilized tank left, and I was going to be able to take three buildings without being shot at in my turn. He didn't have the troops to be able to take all three back. So I would have won with 13 or 14 buildings, needing 13.
Walt definitely had bad luck, but me having my initial forces disappear so quickly and the inability of my guns to hurt the partisans helped keep this a close game. With units coming in and counterattacking from so many directions, this is a wild one. Recommended. Play it while drinking a nice bottle of red wine or vodka shots, depending on your side.
