Major Issues
Elder Member
This was the featured scenario at Paul's Ferocity Fest in NJ. He has a post on this. There were 12 players. The kewl thing was the score sheet that he had, where you got points for doing things and for various events, liking doing an overrun, repairing a MA, going into Motion, and winning an Ambush. For half of these events, you were supposed to yell out a certain phrase when the event occurred, like "BURN, BABY, BURN!!!" I got to yell that. A lot. 'course, being ASL, there was a lot of other yelling going on, some of it regarding the marital status of the opponent's parents.
Paul had wisely sequestered his family away, or chained them in the basement - I'm not sure which, and it's up to the authorities to determine if a crime was committed, not me. But with them not being subject to a barbarian horde of sweaty, cursing dice geeks, he may actually be allowed to have ASLers over again.
P.S. - Paul, sorry about the lamp. And the three dishes. And that thing in the back yard. You'll know it when you find it.
My opponent was Gary Mei, as the Soviets. Gary is from Princeton, where they play a higher, more sophisticated form of ASL.
There is probably a secret handshake. I didn't ask.
I had a couple squads in the FrFA village, two squads in the woods on board 71 in front of the stone building to keep him from doing an Armored Assault on turn 1.
Gary surprised me by Prep Firing a lot of his tanks on turn 1. My two concealed 447s on board 71 were both hit and broken by T34/85 shots. Where he needed a 4 to hit. Some days it just doesn't pay to drive 2-1/2 hours to get your ass kicked.
His reinforcements come in, some infantry unloading around the 71Y7 victory building in the backfield, and some pushing forward to help with the assault of my now non-existent front line. Tanks were all over the middle of board 71. 628s rush my broken squads on board 71.
I had figured that there was no way that I could keep Gary out of the buildings. My Super Secret plan was to hope that the 71Y7 victory building was lightly defended, and send all of the reinforcements there to take it away. My infantry enters on trucks. And Gary had blocked the road to victory with an M-10. Others might see this as an obstacle; I saw it as a challenge. If I hadn't been drinking so heavily, I might have seen it as an obstacle.
My new plan was to drive a truck containing a 467 right up to the M-10 and unload. If he made it, fine, if he didn't, the wreck would provide cover for trucks 2 & 3, who could then unload behind it, then advance for good PSK and PF shots. I should probably throw in an axiom about omelets and breaking eggs here.
Gary did not wait for my truck to move close, but blasted away with his AAMG at the first hex in LOS. This immobilized the truck, and the squad broke. Heavy Sigh. The second truck tried to go through the same hex, and was destroyed.
By a 2 FP residual shot.
Which needed a 3 to kill. I lose a 548 and PSK.
Some days, it doesn't pay to drive 2-1/2 hours to get your ass kicked.
But I have said that before...
I had some large counter dummy stacks to confuse and discombobulate Gary as to where my JagdPanzers were. Though I could have kept them concealed, I remembered the advice of Mother Theresa, who often said, "The best defense is a good offense." So they moved out to engage the T-34s. I lose one to a shot where Gary needs a 5 TH and a 5 TK.
Some days, it doesn't pay to drive 2-1/2 hours to get your ass kicked.
But I have said that before...
A 447 with a PSK AMs concealed behind a hedge. An M-10 AAMG breaks him with a 2+1 shot...
Some days, it doesn't pay to drive 2-1/2 hours to get your ass kicked.
But I have said that before...
…and we are still on turn 1...
The Panthers move to where they can Shoot Up Stuff. Fear of HE keeps them BU, and I do nothing in Advancing Fire. But a sniper little stuns an M-10.
R2, and Soviet armor tries to swarm my poor armor for side and rear shots. I lose one Panther. I lose the other JagdPanzer, but he takes out 2 first, and the crew survives. One M-10 makes it behind a Panther, but has to ESB to stop, and immobilizes. Which does stop him. Luckily, his shot misses.
G2, my surviving 127 crew finds a PF, and flames a T-34. He could have jumped another one and tried to take him out with wrenches and shovels in CC, but decided to move to the building next door to try for another PF next turn.
An infantry rush through the woods at an M-10 does not work, with a leader and 1-1/2 squads breaking. This was a theme. I believe my infantry passed two morale checks the entire game.
An 8-1 and squad rush the immobilized M-10. The 8-1 pins, the 467 goes BERSERK!!! "They shot at Karl!!! Let's get them!!!" 5 points on the chart for me!!! He jumps in, stuns the crew a second time in AdvFPh, and kills the M-10 in CC. There are a lot of minuses for an attack against an immobilized Stunned OT vehicle with no MG. Try not to get into these kind of CCs.
We weren't sure what would happen to the crew had this gone to Melee. Normally, they would have to withdraw offboard, but, being immobilized, that was not an option. Do they abandon in movement phase? If so, would the Berserker be unable to shoot, since he is held in Melee? Is the crew also held in Melee as soon as they exit???
R3, the adjacent T-34 breaks the 127 next door, ending their chances for further cardboard glory. Gary moves some people and tanks around to DM my broken units, take more empty buildings, and take more prisoners. The game has been over since the end of turn 1; we are playing for glory on Paul's point chart by now. I take out another T-34 with a PF, needing a 4 TH. "BURN, BABY, BURN!!!"
I notice a cross the board a crappy LOS to a T-34 from a Panther. I have to turn, and there is +4 in hindrances. I miss, but will have a better shot next turn.
G3, I take out the T-34. I hit it in the side with a Panther, and still can't burn it.
My other Panther overruns some guys in the open who are trying to make it back to the 71Y7 victory building, even though I have no infantry in the area to try to take it. I end up stopped two hexes away from an M-10, with lots of unfriendly infantry around.
R4, the M-10 tries for DI on my Panther, and gets three hits, all on the turret. "Aim higher, Dmitri, aim higher!!!" A squad places a DC on the same Panther.
D fire, the Panther takes out the M-10. My infantry kill a 628 who foolishly decided to cross the road. (BTW, these were the only infantry CVPs I got the entire game.)
The DC takes out the Panther. Luckily, the crew survives. Unluckily, Gary then advances in to successfully attempt capture in CC, which gives him an additional 2 points. ???
My FT finally gets in the game, and burns his last tank, which is a T-34. I now have Undisputed Armor Superiority, with one Panther left.
R5, Gary was going to be able to run around and occupy two more uncontested multihex buildings in the back, giving him 70 points for buildings on Paul's chart. There is no point in going any further, so we end the game.
Like I said, the game was over on turn 1. My take, both before and after the game, is that this is pro-Russian, despite the record. By Paul's chart, Gary won top honors over the other Soviet players, due to all the prisoners and occupying empty buildings. I was second among the German players, despite losing. I actually had more points than two of the Germans who won (even tho a win got you 40 points), due to my subtle strategy of burning most every tank. Paul has the point scores; I got 112, Gary got 191 for the win as top Soviet player. 70 of his points were for building control.
I burned 6 of Gary's 9 tanks.
Gary Intensive Fired like crazy. Probably 12 times. He intensive fired at tanks. He intensive fired at infantry. He intensive fired at concealed infantry. He didn't always hit, but he never, ever broke a gun.
This was fun, but mostly due to Paul's chart. The massive tank battle is a side show, since victory is by building control.
Thanks to Jim Brackin for providing company and conversation on the ride there and back, to Gary for a fun game, and for Paul for being the ever gracious host.
P.S. - Paul, sorry I broke that other thing in your garage.
Paul took a group photo of all participants, and I took a shot of our board at game end. See below.
Paul had wisely sequestered his family away, or chained them in the basement - I'm not sure which, and it's up to the authorities to determine if a crime was committed, not me. But with them not being subject to a barbarian horde of sweaty, cursing dice geeks, he may actually be allowed to have ASLers over again.
P.S. - Paul, sorry about the lamp. And the three dishes. And that thing in the back yard. You'll know it when you find it.
My opponent was Gary Mei, as the Soviets. Gary is from Princeton, where they play a higher, more sophisticated form of ASL.
There is probably a secret handshake. I didn't ask.
I had a couple squads in the FrFA village, two squads in the woods on board 71 in front of the stone building to keep him from doing an Armored Assault on turn 1.
Gary surprised me by Prep Firing a lot of his tanks on turn 1. My two concealed 447s on board 71 were both hit and broken by T34/85 shots. Where he needed a 4 to hit. Some days it just doesn't pay to drive 2-1/2 hours to get your ass kicked.
His reinforcements come in, some infantry unloading around the 71Y7 victory building in the backfield, and some pushing forward to help with the assault of my now non-existent front line. Tanks were all over the middle of board 71. 628s rush my broken squads on board 71.
I had figured that there was no way that I could keep Gary out of the buildings. My Super Secret plan was to hope that the 71Y7 victory building was lightly defended, and send all of the reinforcements there to take it away. My infantry enters on trucks. And Gary had blocked the road to victory with an M-10. Others might see this as an obstacle; I saw it as a challenge. If I hadn't been drinking so heavily, I might have seen it as an obstacle.
My new plan was to drive a truck containing a 467 right up to the M-10 and unload. If he made it, fine, if he didn't, the wreck would provide cover for trucks 2 & 3, who could then unload behind it, then advance for good PSK and PF shots. I should probably throw in an axiom about omelets and breaking eggs here.
Gary did not wait for my truck to move close, but blasted away with his AAMG at the first hex in LOS. This immobilized the truck, and the squad broke. Heavy Sigh. The second truck tried to go through the same hex, and was destroyed.
By a 2 FP residual shot.
Which needed a 3 to kill. I lose a 548 and PSK.
Some days, it doesn't pay to drive 2-1/2 hours to get your ass kicked.
But I have said that before...
I had some large counter dummy stacks to confuse and discombobulate Gary as to where my JagdPanzers were. Though I could have kept them concealed, I remembered the advice of Mother Theresa, who often said, "The best defense is a good offense." So they moved out to engage the T-34s. I lose one to a shot where Gary needs a 5 TH and a 5 TK.
Some days, it doesn't pay to drive 2-1/2 hours to get your ass kicked.
But I have said that before...
A 447 with a PSK AMs concealed behind a hedge. An M-10 AAMG breaks him with a 2+1 shot...
Some days, it doesn't pay to drive 2-1/2 hours to get your ass kicked.
But I have said that before...
…and we are still on turn 1...
The Panthers move to where they can Shoot Up Stuff. Fear of HE keeps them BU, and I do nothing in Advancing Fire. But a sniper little stuns an M-10.
R2, and Soviet armor tries to swarm my poor armor for side and rear shots. I lose one Panther. I lose the other JagdPanzer, but he takes out 2 first, and the crew survives. One M-10 makes it behind a Panther, but has to ESB to stop, and immobilizes. Which does stop him.
Luckily, his shot misses.G2, my surviving 127 crew finds a PF, and flames a T-34. He could have jumped another one and tried to take him out with wrenches and shovels in CC, but decided to move to the building next door to try for another PF next turn.
An infantry rush through the woods at an M-10 does not work, with a leader and 1-1/2 squads breaking. This was a theme. I believe my infantry passed two morale checks the entire game.
An 8-1 and squad rush the immobilized M-10. The 8-1 pins, the 467 goes BERSERK!!! "They shot at Karl!!! Let's get them!!!" 5 points on the chart for me!!! He jumps in, stuns the crew a second time in AdvFPh, and kills the M-10 in CC. There are a lot of minuses for an attack against an immobilized Stunned OT vehicle with no MG. Try not to get into these kind of CCs.
We weren't sure what would happen to the crew had this gone to Melee. Normally, they would have to withdraw offboard, but, being immobilized, that was not an option. Do they abandon in movement phase? If so, would the Berserker be unable to shoot, since he is held in Melee? Is the crew also held in Melee as soon as they exit???
R3, the adjacent T-34 breaks the 127 next door, ending their chances for further cardboard glory. Gary moves some people and tanks around to DM my broken units, take more empty buildings, and take more prisoners. The game has been over since the end of turn 1; we are playing for glory on Paul's point chart by now. I take out another T-34 with a PF, needing a 4 TH. "BURN, BABY, BURN!!!"
I notice a cross the board a crappy LOS to a T-34 from a Panther. I have to turn, and there is +4 in hindrances. I miss, but will have a better shot next turn.
G3, I take out the T-34. I hit it in the side with a Panther, and still can't burn it.
My other Panther overruns some guys in the open who are trying to make it back to the 71Y7 victory building, even though I have no infantry in the area to try to take it. I end up stopped two hexes away from an M-10, with lots of unfriendly infantry around.
R4, the M-10 tries for DI on my Panther, and gets three hits, all on the turret. "Aim higher, Dmitri, aim higher!!!" A squad places a DC on the same Panther.
D fire, the Panther takes out the M-10. My infantry kill a 628 who foolishly decided to cross the road. (BTW, these were the only infantry CVPs I got the entire game.)
The DC takes out the Panther. Luckily, the crew survives. Unluckily, Gary then advances in to successfully attempt capture in CC, which gives him an additional 2 points. ???
My FT finally gets in the game, and burns his last tank, which is a T-34. I now have Undisputed Armor Superiority, with one Panther left.
R5, Gary was going to be able to run around and occupy two more uncontested multihex buildings in the back, giving him 70 points for buildings on Paul's chart. There is no point in going any further, so we end the game.
Like I said, the game was over on turn 1. My take, both before and after the game, is that this is pro-Russian, despite the record. By Paul's chart, Gary won top honors over the other Soviet players, due to all the prisoners and occupying empty buildings. I was second among the German players, despite losing. I actually had more points than two of the Germans who won (even tho a win got you 40 points), due to my subtle strategy of burning most every tank. Paul has the point scores; I got 112, Gary got 191 for the win as top Soviet player. 70 of his points were for building control.
I burned 6 of Gary's 9 tanks.
Gary Intensive Fired like crazy. Probably 12 times. He intensive fired at tanks. He intensive fired at infantry. He intensive fired at concealed infantry. He didn't always hit, but he never, ever broke a gun.
This was fun, but mostly due to Paul's chart. The massive tank battle is a side show, since victory is by building control.
Thanks to Jim Brackin for providing company and conversation on the ride there and back, to Gary for a fun game, and for Paul for being the ever gracious host.
P.S. - Paul, sorry I broke that other thing in your garage.
Paul took a group photo of all participants, and I took a shot of our board at game end. See below.
