Major Issues
Elder Member
The election is almost upon us, and charges and countercharges are being flung back and forth in print and on the airwaves.
In the future, some candidate is going to run on a ‘No Fat Chicks’ and ‘Faster Download Speeds For Porn’ platform. My prediction is that he or she will do well.
Walt and I have been doing Stalingrad scenarios, tho my AARs on them have been woefully lacking. The latest was The Martinguitarhofen.
Walt took the Russians, defending a factory. I wuz the evil Germans – a company of Pioneers, or Sons of the Pioneers, and a mix of Croatians stuck in a building until the Pioneers assure them that it is safe to come out.
The Pioneers have a bunch of kewl toys – 3 FTs, 5 DCs, a 9-2, a 10-2, and a 10% off coupon for Boscovs. The Croatians aren’t useless – they can put together a 25 FP stack, with an 8-1 leader. There are also 2 AA guns and a 150 mm INF gun.
The Russians have a mix of troops, mostly Elite, to hold the factory. They have two HIP squads, a 45L AT, a Molotov Projector, and a buncha MGs, including a HMG and a .50 cal.
What they don’t have is a good setup area – everyone has to be in the factory, and only half the factory is in play. They also don’t have a Commissar. Their Kommissar left two weeks ago. As he left, his parting words were, “Comrades! I am off to a cushy assignment far, far away from the front lines, printing inspirational pamphlets. But rest assured, my thoughts will be with you as you heroically fight to your certain death! Probably an excruciatingly painful and gruesome death. Disemboweling may be involved. You may linger on in agony for days. But, it’s best not to dwell on such things. Make me, and the Soviet Union, proud of you as you are chopped to pieces!!!”
Der Martinofen has its own special rule, where the Soviets can potentially get a sniper with a ‘3’ roll if they control any of the smokestacks. We decided that this did not apply to this scenario, as the Smokestack Lightning part of the map was not in play.
The Germans get a set DC in one of three factory hexes, which will go ‘boom’ at the start of the game. The Soviets get a FM of 120mm OBA, which will go ‘boom’ before the start of the game. But both sides have to choose their hexes before setup, and the Soviets are limited as to where the FFE can be placed. It also has accuracy issues, like a 4 year old peeing.
A couple pioneers have to set up around the corner from the factory. There is another factory adjacent to the Martinofen, but neither side may enter it. “Keep Out” signs DO work.
My Evil Genius plan was as follows – use the set DC to blow the crap out of the one hex that has LOS to the open ground the corner guyz have to go through. I loaded up this hex with the 10-2, 3 squads, 2 LMGs and a FT. The Croatians set up on Level 1, to shoot into the factory or at anyone on the roof. The AA guns and the INF gun are just in front, mostly for roof suppression.
The rest of the pioneers were in the building with the Croatians, but downstairs. While this put them farther away from the factory, it also meant that the OBA couldn’t hit them, unless it was inaccurate and I was very unlucky.
I made one giant stack with all six concealment counters. The plan was to have the stack divide, like an amoeba, and spread out to hopefully suck up some sniper attacks. The Russians have SAN 6.
Game starts. Walt’s OBA hits nothing. My set DC reduces a squad to a conscript HS, with a loud ringing in their ears. The Croatian Kill Stack shoots the hell out of a stack of rooftop dummies, keeps rate, then shoots and breaks a real rooftop squad. There is only one unit left on the roof, and they are at the back of the factory.
Off to the races. Risking certain death, an 838 with a LMG charges the factory. An adjacent 527 shoots twice and does nothing. The 10-2 Kill Stack is able to run into the adjacent stone building unscathed. The rest of the 838s charge across the street. I sent a couple toward the end of the factory, which was not part of my original plan, but with hardly any defenders there, it seemed opportune.
Walt had three giant kill stacks in the middle of the factory, but hindrances and LOS blockages kept them from having shots.
Advancing Fire. My CX 838 with a LMG breaks the adjacent 527. The 10-2, doing what 10-2s do best, tells everyone to shoot the hell out of the broken 527 next door. His inspired men eagerly comply, and roll a 2. No more 527... They had more bullets in them than are in five Sam Peckinpah movies.
Advance, and I have guys adjacent or within two hexes of several defended factory hexes. Some are toting FTs. One Giant Soviet Kill Stack fires at an adjacent 838 in the factory. And rolls an 11. An LMG breaks and the 838 is unscathed. The Molotov Projector shoots and misses, and the squads stacked with it also miss. Another kill stack breaks an 8-0. But that’s it.
R1 DFF, the Soviets are pummeled. There were many, many 2MCs. The 10-2, firing for the second time in the game, again rolls a 2. One hex is essentially destroyed, one leader is wounded, and one HMG squad is broken.
Walt decides not to drop the HMG and rout, hoping to rally the DMed 458. He needs a 6. He rolls a 7.
G2, a squad on a bold flanking charge finds the AT gun, who shoots, hits, keeps rate, but does not have any effect. In Final Fire, it fires again, rolls a 12, and breaks the gun. Whatever gods Walt prays to, they are not helping him.
More carnage ensues with FTs and DCs and guyz firing from the hip. The Soviet sniper wakes up, kills the Croatian 8-1, and all of his men, grief-stricken, break. An 838 is CRed by a booby trap. My 8-0 shoots himself in the foot while attempting to rally. But Russian fire kills nobody.
G3, the 10-2 and two squads move into a stone building next to the factory and are broken. The Russian sniper breaks a squad that was about to CC the crew with the broken AT gun. But, other than that, it is all German. Walt concedes before the Advance Phase. At this point, two of his leaders are dead, and he has 4 GO squads and a crew with a broken gun left. He has no possessed SWs, other than a LMG being toted around by a broken HS. I would have occupied 2 more factory hexes in Advance, for a total of 5, and there was nothing to stop me from taking a buncha empty hexes the following turn. I still had 3 FTs and 4 DCs, and the Croats would be free to charge forward to start collecting scrap metal.
My picket line of sniper bait dummies didn’t work out, as the sniper went the other direction. Around turn 2, Walt said that he didn’t think he was going to be able to earn any CVPs with firepower, and was hoping to get points with the sniper. Even with a 6 SAN, this is not much of a plan.
Walt’s dice were so bad, he referred to the scenario as ‘a German training exercise.’
I am currently playing this with Gunny, with me as the Russians. Although I am doing better than Walt, I think I will lose.
Currently 6-2 pro-German on ROAR.
Aerial recon photo from end is below. This is before the German turn 3 advance. There is a very faded DM counter at the bottom of the screen, which has the broken 10-2 and his men beneath it.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, The Commissar gazes out the window of his villa, and asks his mistress to bring him another glass of sherry...
In the future, some candidate is going to run on a ‘No Fat Chicks’ and ‘Faster Download Speeds For Porn’ platform. My prediction is that he or she will do well.
Walt and I have been doing Stalingrad scenarios, tho my AARs on them have been woefully lacking. The latest was The Martinguitarhofen.
Walt took the Russians, defending a factory. I wuz the evil Germans – a company of Pioneers, or Sons of the Pioneers, and a mix of Croatians stuck in a building until the Pioneers assure them that it is safe to come out.
The Pioneers have a bunch of kewl toys – 3 FTs, 5 DCs, a 9-2, a 10-2, and a 10% off coupon for Boscovs. The Croatians aren’t useless – they can put together a 25 FP stack, with an 8-1 leader. There are also 2 AA guns and a 150 mm INF gun.
The Russians have a mix of troops, mostly Elite, to hold the factory. They have two HIP squads, a 45L AT, a Molotov Projector, and a buncha MGs, including a HMG and a .50 cal.
What they don’t have is a good setup area – everyone has to be in the factory, and only half the factory is in play. They also don’t have a Commissar. Their Kommissar left two weeks ago. As he left, his parting words were, “Comrades! I am off to a cushy assignment far, far away from the front lines, printing inspirational pamphlets. But rest assured, my thoughts will be with you as you heroically fight to your certain death! Probably an excruciatingly painful and gruesome death. Disemboweling may be involved. You may linger on in agony for days. But, it’s best not to dwell on such things. Make me, and the Soviet Union, proud of you as you are chopped to pieces!!!”
Der Martinofen has its own special rule, where the Soviets can potentially get a sniper with a ‘3’ roll if they control any of the smokestacks. We decided that this did not apply to this scenario, as the Smokestack Lightning part of the map was not in play.
The Germans get a set DC in one of three factory hexes, which will go ‘boom’ at the start of the game. The Soviets get a FM of 120mm OBA, which will go ‘boom’ before the start of the game. But both sides have to choose their hexes before setup, and the Soviets are limited as to where the FFE can be placed. It also has accuracy issues, like a 4 year old peeing.
A couple pioneers have to set up around the corner from the factory. There is another factory adjacent to the Martinofen, but neither side may enter it. “Keep Out” signs DO work.
My Evil Genius plan was as follows – use the set DC to blow the crap out of the one hex that has LOS to the open ground the corner guyz have to go through. I loaded up this hex with the 10-2, 3 squads, 2 LMGs and a FT. The Croatians set up on Level 1, to shoot into the factory or at anyone on the roof. The AA guns and the INF gun are just in front, mostly for roof suppression.
The rest of the pioneers were in the building with the Croatians, but downstairs. While this put them farther away from the factory, it also meant that the OBA couldn’t hit them, unless it was inaccurate and I was very unlucky.
I made one giant stack with all six concealment counters. The plan was to have the stack divide, like an amoeba, and spread out to hopefully suck up some sniper attacks. The Russians have SAN 6.
Game starts. Walt’s OBA hits nothing. My set DC reduces a squad to a conscript HS, with a loud ringing in their ears. The Croatian Kill Stack shoots the hell out of a stack of rooftop dummies, keeps rate, then shoots and breaks a real rooftop squad. There is only one unit left on the roof, and they are at the back of the factory.
Off to the races. Risking certain death, an 838 with a LMG charges the factory. An adjacent 527 shoots twice and does nothing. The 10-2 Kill Stack is able to run into the adjacent stone building unscathed. The rest of the 838s charge across the street. I sent a couple toward the end of the factory, which was not part of my original plan, but with hardly any defenders there, it seemed opportune.
Walt had three giant kill stacks in the middle of the factory, but hindrances and LOS blockages kept them from having shots.
Advancing Fire. My CX 838 with a LMG breaks the adjacent 527. The 10-2, doing what 10-2s do best, tells everyone to shoot the hell out of the broken 527 next door. His inspired men eagerly comply, and roll a 2. No more 527... They had more bullets in them than are in five Sam Peckinpah movies.
Advance, and I have guys adjacent or within two hexes of several defended factory hexes. Some are toting FTs. One Giant Soviet Kill Stack fires at an adjacent 838 in the factory. And rolls an 11. An LMG breaks and the 838 is unscathed. The Molotov Projector shoots and misses, and the squads stacked with it also miss. Another kill stack breaks an 8-0. But that’s it.
R1 DFF, the Soviets are pummeled. There were many, many 2MCs. The 10-2, firing for the second time in the game, again rolls a 2. One hex is essentially destroyed, one leader is wounded, and one HMG squad is broken.
Walt decides not to drop the HMG and rout, hoping to rally the DMed 458. He needs a 6. He rolls a 7.
G2, a squad on a bold flanking charge finds the AT gun, who shoots, hits, keeps rate, but does not have any effect. In Final Fire, it fires again, rolls a 12, and breaks the gun. Whatever gods Walt prays to, they are not helping him.
More carnage ensues with FTs and DCs and guyz firing from the hip. The Soviet sniper wakes up, kills the Croatian 8-1, and all of his men, grief-stricken, break. An 838 is CRed by a booby trap. My 8-0 shoots himself in the foot while attempting to rally. But Russian fire kills nobody.
G3, the 10-2 and two squads move into a stone building next to the factory and are broken. The Russian sniper breaks a squad that was about to CC the crew with the broken AT gun. But, other than that, it is all German. Walt concedes before the Advance Phase. At this point, two of his leaders are dead, and he has 4 GO squads and a crew with a broken gun left. He has no possessed SWs, other than a LMG being toted around by a broken HS. I would have occupied 2 more factory hexes in Advance, for a total of 5, and there was nothing to stop me from taking a buncha empty hexes the following turn. I still had 3 FTs and 4 DCs, and the Croats would be free to charge forward to start collecting scrap metal.
My picket line of sniper bait dummies didn’t work out, as the sniper went the other direction. Around turn 2, Walt said that he didn’t think he was going to be able to earn any CVPs with firepower, and was hoping to get points with the sniper. Even with a 6 SAN, this is not much of a plan.
Walt’s dice were so bad, he referred to the scenario as ‘a German training exercise.’
I am currently playing this with Gunny, with me as the Russians. Although I am doing better than Walt, I think I will lose.
Currently 6-2 pro-German on ROAR.
Aerial recon photo from end is below. This is before the German turn 3 advance. There is a very faded DM counter at the bottom of the screen, which has the broken 10-2 and his men beneath it.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, The Commissar gazes out the window of his villa, and asks his mistress to bring him another glass of sherry...
