Major Issues
Elder Member
My wife cashed in part of her IRA. She found out what they meant when they said “Severe penalties for early withdrawal.”
Walt wanted to go into the desert on a horse with no name, and picked The Sooner The Better. He wanted to be Australian – but, then, who doesn’t???
Aussies need 40 more DVPs than the Germans. Prisoners/ captured goodies do not count double. Germans exited off the south edge of the one board do not count as DVPs. Tanks are allowed Riders (Desert Lyft SSR) and to tow Guns. So this is basically a retreat scenario.
Some elite Germans with MGs and sangars are in the middle of the board. South of them are some Aussies in trenches and pillboxes, all draped with wire. The German tanks come tearing on from the north edge, followed by a two Commonwealth infantry support tanks and 6 Matildas, who, with 9 MPs and having expended 4 offboard, will be doing anything but waltzing. Glacially slow clanking, yes.
More Aussies come from the flanks, mostly infantry who are delighted to have to cross open ground, and two 40L Portee AT guns.
I looked it over and thought that it looked tough on the Aussies. If the Aussies completely wipe out the infantry and the abandoned guns, it’s 39 DVPs. So if the German tanks make a Run For The Border, they can win without having to fight. Being early desert war, the German tanks have red MPs, which is another incentive to not stop. The German infantry is best off sitting in place and trying not to get killed. I told Walt this. He still wanted to play it, but with me as the Aussies.
The turn record chart is incorrect. It shows the German reinforcements (all the tanks) entering on Turn 2. They are supposed to come in on Turn 1, as per the instructions. There is no published errata on this, but I confirmed this with the scenario designer.
The infantry for both sides has a limited setup area. I tried to put the fortifications as far forward as allowed to shoot at German infantry. The Aussie infantry does have a radio with 80mm OBA. What they do not have is anything to hurt the tanks. They have two ATRs – that’s it.
Light Dust is in effect, so shots are modified by a drm that can vary from 0 to +3. Vehicle Dust is present.
The board is as flat as my bank account. No terrain to make a difference, just hammada that might slow some vehicles down.
G1, the German tanks come pouring on. Walt rushes some ‘volunteers’ out to take possession of the abandoned guns. He gets two, but one HS is gunned down. Well, vultures have to eat, too…
Radioman fails to make contact, as he is busy brewing up a cuppa.
C1, the Matildas move on painfully slowly a whole four hexes, then stop. The cruiser tanks tear down the west edge. They are fast, but have no AP. Or armor. Or life expectancy…
The infantry cautiously enter on the east edge. The German 75* INF, taken over by a unqualified HS, broke on its first shot.
The 8-1 and a squad did not enter cautiously, because Walt was out of shots. They decided to sprint to the nearest tank, into its vehicle dust. Jumping on top of a moving tank in the middle of the desert??? It’s crazy enough that it Just Might Work. It did for Indiana Jones.
These guys are from Brisbane, not Indiana. It didn’t work for them. I needed a 5. Walt needed a 3. And he got a 3, CRing the squad.
G2, the infantry continue to plink at each other, while Every German Tank in North Africa continues rumbling forward. The Matildas unleash a firestorm of very small shells in their direction.
A word about this. These shots are at the 7-12 hex range, against moving targets, with +2 vehicle dust, plus whatever the dust roll is. So, on average, it’s going to be about +6, with a base TH of 9. Acq helps, and I was able to sneak a couple shots from angles not covered by vehicle dust.
TK #s are not exciting, either. The turrets were all facing me. So, depending on where a hit occurred, needed a 6 or 8 to immobilize, and a 5 or 7 TK. Net result was one dead German tank. Another hit bounced, and a Possible Shock wasn’t. One Matilda broke its gun.
This was the best chance the Matildas would have. Future shots would be at longer and longer ranges, and the TK drops off with distance. Some later shots were in the 34 hex range. When was the last time you had any that far out? I’m not sure if they were shooting the cannons at that point, or using Roman catapaults to do arcing fire.
C2, the Portees come on and successfully run down the west board edge to get a bit in front of the German horde. The cruiser tanks drive up next to two of the moving tanks. Base TK with HE is only an 8, so these are low odds shots.
Turn 3, one cruiser tank is destroyed by the 37 mm AT gun, fired by an unqualified HS at 10 hexes with dust. They just kept plinking away until they finally got a kill. With every shot, I figured they were due to break it. But they never did.
Both portees went down to MMG shots. They were my best hope of hurting the tanks.
G4, most of the German tanks were on board 27, and had to make a left turn, Clyde, in order to exit off of board 28. ATR shots and very long range Matilda shots did nothing. We called it at that point, because those tanks remaining on board were all going to be able to exit the following turn, barring a very lucky shot from the Matildas, who I believe were firing from another country.
The infantry battle was a yawner. I couldn’t do much to the Germans in their +1 sangars, they couldn’t do anything to my trench guyz, but would occasionally kill off a flanker. I got 4 FFEs down with my OBA. A 468 without cover was killed off, piece by piece. The HMG position, while it looked like a simple sangar on the map, was actually Fort Zinderneuf. I was never able to even get a NMC on it.
After G4, the point spread was 34 for the Aussies, and 22 for the Germans. I had killed 3 tanks. The Germans had killed one tank and the two portees. The other DVPs for both sides were infantry or guns. The remaining 11 German tanks were all poised to exit the next turn.
I would have been able to pick up some more points of infantry had we continued playing, but not nearly enough, and there was a chance of the Germans killing off more guys in the open.
The remaining German infantry, left behind by the tankers, shook their fists at the retreating German tanks, impotent with rage. The tankers all received negative Uber reviews.
We had fun with this, but I don’t see the Aussies winning if the German infantry goes to ground and the German tanks just drive like hell.
Pics from the end of C3 and G4 below.
Cat OBA was ineffective.
Covid Tip Of The Day:
Walt wanted to go into the desert on a horse with no name, and picked The Sooner The Better. He wanted to be Australian – but, then, who doesn’t???
Aussies need 40 more DVPs than the Germans. Prisoners/ captured goodies do not count double. Germans exited off the south edge of the one board do not count as DVPs. Tanks are allowed Riders (Desert Lyft SSR) and to tow Guns. So this is basically a retreat scenario.
Some elite Germans with MGs and sangars are in the middle of the board. South of them are some Aussies in trenches and pillboxes, all draped with wire. The German tanks come tearing on from the north edge, followed by a two Commonwealth infantry support tanks and 6 Matildas, who, with 9 MPs and having expended 4 offboard, will be doing anything but waltzing. Glacially slow clanking, yes.
More Aussies come from the flanks, mostly infantry who are delighted to have to cross open ground, and two 40L Portee AT guns.
I looked it over and thought that it looked tough on the Aussies. If the Aussies completely wipe out the infantry and the abandoned guns, it’s 39 DVPs. So if the German tanks make a Run For The Border, they can win without having to fight. Being early desert war, the German tanks have red MPs, which is another incentive to not stop. The German infantry is best off sitting in place and trying not to get killed. I told Walt this. He still wanted to play it, but with me as the Aussies.
The turn record chart is incorrect. It shows the German reinforcements (all the tanks) entering on Turn 2. They are supposed to come in on Turn 1, as per the instructions. There is no published errata on this, but I confirmed this with the scenario designer.
The infantry for both sides has a limited setup area. I tried to put the fortifications as far forward as allowed to shoot at German infantry. The Aussie infantry does have a radio with 80mm OBA. What they do not have is anything to hurt the tanks. They have two ATRs – that’s it.
Light Dust is in effect, so shots are modified by a drm that can vary from 0 to +3. Vehicle Dust is present.
The board is as flat as my bank account. No terrain to make a difference, just hammada that might slow some vehicles down.
G1, the German tanks come pouring on. Walt rushes some ‘volunteers’ out to take possession of the abandoned guns. He gets two, but one HS is gunned down. Well, vultures have to eat, too…
Radioman fails to make contact, as he is busy brewing up a cuppa.
C1, the Matildas move on painfully slowly a whole four hexes, then stop. The cruiser tanks tear down the west edge. They are fast, but have no AP. Or armor. Or life expectancy…
The infantry cautiously enter on the east edge. The German 75* INF, taken over by a unqualified HS, broke on its first shot.
The 8-1 and a squad did not enter cautiously, because Walt was out of shots. They decided to sprint to the nearest tank, into its vehicle dust. Jumping on top of a moving tank in the middle of the desert??? It’s crazy enough that it Just Might Work. It did for Indiana Jones.
These guys are from Brisbane, not Indiana. It didn’t work for them. I needed a 5. Walt needed a 3. And he got a 3, CRing the squad.
G2, the infantry continue to plink at each other, while Every German Tank in North Africa continues rumbling forward. The Matildas unleash a firestorm of very small shells in their direction.
A word about this. These shots are at the 7-12 hex range, against moving targets, with +2 vehicle dust, plus whatever the dust roll is. So, on average, it’s going to be about +6, with a base TH of 9. Acq helps, and I was able to sneak a couple shots from angles not covered by vehicle dust.
TK #s are not exciting, either. The turrets were all facing me. So, depending on where a hit occurred, needed a 6 or 8 to immobilize, and a 5 or 7 TK. Net result was one dead German tank. Another hit bounced, and a Possible Shock wasn’t. One Matilda broke its gun.
This was the best chance the Matildas would have. Future shots would be at longer and longer ranges, and the TK drops off with distance. Some later shots were in the 34 hex range. When was the last time you had any that far out? I’m not sure if they were shooting the cannons at that point, or using Roman catapaults to do arcing fire.
C2, the Portees come on and successfully run down the west board edge to get a bit in front of the German horde. The cruiser tanks drive up next to two of the moving tanks. Base TK with HE is only an 8, so these are low odds shots.
Turn 3, one cruiser tank is destroyed by the 37 mm AT gun, fired by an unqualified HS at 10 hexes with dust. They just kept plinking away until they finally got a kill. With every shot, I figured they were due to break it. But they never did.
Both portees went down to MMG shots. They were my best hope of hurting the tanks.
G4, most of the German tanks were on board 27, and had to make a left turn, Clyde, in order to exit off of board 28. ATR shots and very long range Matilda shots did nothing. We called it at that point, because those tanks remaining on board were all going to be able to exit the following turn, barring a very lucky shot from the Matildas, who I believe were firing from another country.
The infantry battle was a yawner. I couldn’t do much to the Germans in their +1 sangars, they couldn’t do anything to my trench guyz, but would occasionally kill off a flanker. I got 4 FFEs down with my OBA. A 468 without cover was killed off, piece by piece. The HMG position, while it looked like a simple sangar on the map, was actually Fort Zinderneuf. I was never able to even get a NMC on it.
After G4, the point spread was 34 for the Aussies, and 22 for the Germans. I had killed 3 tanks. The Germans had killed one tank and the two portees. The other DVPs for both sides were infantry or guns. The remaining 11 German tanks were all poised to exit the next turn.
I would have been able to pick up some more points of infantry had we continued playing, but not nearly enough, and there was a chance of the Germans killing off more guys in the open.
The remaining German infantry, left behind by the tankers, shook their fists at the retreating German tanks, impotent with rage. The tankers all received negative Uber reviews.
We had fun with this, but I don’t see the Aussies winning if the German infantry goes to ground and the German tanks just drive like hell.
Pics from the end of C3 and G4 below.
Cat OBA was ineffective.
Covid Tip Of The Day:
