AAR - Silent Bayonets - BFP-117

Major Issues

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Vince
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This AAR is a month late. Having to work for a living instead of being born a Clampett has its drawbacks.

Since I had shared job hunting tips as to what did not work earlier, I thought that I would give you one that actually does work, based on my personal experience. Hint darkly that you have amazing psychic powers, the likes of which the world has never seen.

I got together with Walt Kenney to play at his house. Although he lives nearby, we don't get to play, in part because of the restraining order that he has against me. But mostly because he is typically locked in Melee with a squad of small, berserk children.
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Armed only with shrill, shrieking voices and high blood sugar levels, they can keep Walt occupied and away from dice for months at a time. So, on this rare occasion when he actually could play, I decided to celebrate by kicking his a**.

Slovaks are hunkered down in stone buildings in a village. Sneaky Polish attackers set up close by. They are in your backyard. They are in your driveway.
THEY ARE RIGHT OUTSIDE YOUR FRONT DOOR!!! RUN!!! RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!!!!!
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Slovak reinforcements then come in and restore order.

Walt took the Slovak Around The Clock.
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I had the Poles.
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Slovaks can't stack MMCs during setup, and have no OB-given concealment counters. My plan was to get a couple shots in during Prep or Advancing Fire, while keeping the SMCs and a couple HSs concealed for Ambush drms. Then, jump in for CC, get Ambush, and take out half his army on my first turn. A brilliant strategy. I almost felt sorry for Walt. Almost. I was deciding what else we could play after he would concede on turn 2.

Except.

My first four shots were all '10s.' Three of the four also cowered. Two of my squads were broken in DFF, and ran fleeing in terror for the woods. With bayonets fixed, my stalwarts went in for CC. I believe there were 5 CCs. In all cases, I had a -2 or -3 advantage for the Ambush roll. And got no ambushes. Zero. All CCs were at least a 3:2 in my favor. I killed a HS, and lost two squads and a leader. Ouch. So much for my bayonet charge. Apparently, no one told the Poles that the pointy end goes first.

I did eventually win these Melees, but not without further losses. My two broken squads were overwhelmed by his reinforcements. They came in on two sides. I had defended one side with dummy stacks, hoping that in the excitement, Walt would fail to count counters and would suspect that there were real units that could keep his men from charging across open ground. They didn't fool him for a second. Memo to self - Walt can count.

The rest of the game devolved into weirdness. My few troops in the center of town were attacking and wiping out the initial Slovak force, while his reinforcements were taking back unoccupied buildings that I didn't have the men to defend. Three squads were doing a good job holding off his reinforcements on the other flank, until a killer sniper, a 4+3 shot, and a good CC roll wiped all of them out. At that point, I had cleared the last of the original defenders, but all I had left were two squads and a 7-0 in the church. Yelling "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!", I conceded.


https://youtu.be/HA6z6KAGnoc

Roughly 2:1 in the Slovak's favor on ROAR. I think it's much more balanced than that. I was done in by horrible dice on my first turn. Otherwise, I think my plan would have worked. I did keep fighting, and made a game of it.

Walt had some bad dice also - I think he malf'ed 5 MGs during the game.

I slunk away, tail between my legs, humiliated, but drawing some comfort from the fact that Walt would have to go back to babysitting, while hoping that the kids didn't find the matches...
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