Got back last night. Only played 6 games over three days. Here is my short AAR:
Game 1 Rupee Reward
Playtested this one with Mike Faulkner. I won't go into detail; the Chinese won. Faulkner couldn't chisel his way out of this one.
Game 2 DB37 Night Assault at Vodotyï (I think)
This was the first round of Night mini. Chuck Payne and I had arranged to play in the first round and Chuck pulled this one out as an alternative. It involves SS attacking an HQ building at night on board 49. I took the SS and swept around the right flank with some stuff in the center as well. Once into the H7 building I worked around the flank of the target building (in this case K10) and then blasted any soviet that showed itself. The last turn saw my assault succeed. Chuck made two overstacking errors that may have cost him the game; it certainly allowed me easier access to the HQ.
Game 3 A120 Uncommon Valor
Second round of the night tourney found me fighting Randy Rossi (sp?) in this Mistress Tabitha scenario. Basically, 12 ski-equipped Finn squads have to cross board 7 frozen river and then dig the Russians out of board 24. Too much death for me to soak up and my personal moral folded on turn 2. I stuck in it for another three turns, but the 5 additional 648s come in behind the russians broke my back. It was a taste of what I dished out the game before.
Game 4 J9 A Stiff Fight
Got the Gurkhas in this one. Can't remember my opponent's name. After the previous night's fight, I really did not want to defend, but the die was against me and I got stuck with the Gurkhas. I set up a defense and really felt that it looked pro-Japanese. I put two wires in the road and the other two connecting to the bamboo that rounded out the block on the Gurkha right. My opponent came in cautiously and was able to avoid the wire with all but one squad (that got hung up the entire game). He bogged a tank, but got it back the next turn. Basically, I ran away and skulked as much as possible. Turn 3 found me rallying three dm gurkha MMC with a bunch of lucky DR's that saved the game for me. The last turn found me HOB'ing an 8-0 into an 8-1, that then rallied the game winning 248. I diced my opponent, who only made one error in the entire game that I thought was worth mentioning.
Game 5 HG3 Bumps Along The Tiddam Road
Round 2 of the Gurkha tournament and we choose this HG Japanese slaughter. More than anything else, I am not partial to defending with the Japanese, and after two defend or die scenarios I really did not want to defend. So, I ended up defending. I don't remember too much except that the dozens of -2 shots I took resulted in the death of an entire Gurkha HS. If not for a pair of tactical errors by my opponent that let me kill 2.5 squads in H2HCC I would have been toast even earlier than my turn 6 surrender. I would guess that it favors the Japanese a bit as there is a lot of ground to cover, but if the -2 attacks get you nothing, the end game is a foregone conclusion.
Game 6 PBP6 Raw Deal
I swore I would never defend again, so I talked Steve Ives into playing this old scenario. I had played it once before and won handily as the US and wanted to try again from the other side. Not sure how the Germans can win this one; the first time I played it we forgot to apply the ground snow rules (no road movement rate and +1 up/down hills). Applying those rules makes it seem a howling dog to me, as it pushes the German armor back a turn from being effective. Going over the hills is simply too time consuming. I managed to make a game of it, but one of my panthers stalled on the board edge on the last turn, and a DR4 on TH5 burnt a PzIV in a position that caused the smoke to keep the rest of the infantry/tanks from having enough MP to exit.
Congratulation to Aaron (at least that is what I heard Sunday morn) for the Grofaz. And whoever was making that video on Sunday morning, I want a copy
Game 1 Rupee Reward
Playtested this one with Mike Faulkner. I won't go into detail; the Chinese won. Faulkner couldn't chisel his way out of this one.
Game 2 DB37 Night Assault at Vodotyï (I think)
This was the first round of Night mini. Chuck Payne and I had arranged to play in the first round and Chuck pulled this one out as an alternative. It involves SS attacking an HQ building at night on board 49. I took the SS and swept around the right flank with some stuff in the center as well. Once into the H7 building I worked around the flank of the target building (in this case K10) and then blasted any soviet that showed itself. The last turn saw my assault succeed. Chuck made two overstacking errors that may have cost him the game; it certainly allowed me easier access to the HQ.
Game 3 A120 Uncommon Valor
Second round of the night tourney found me fighting Randy Rossi (sp?) in this Mistress Tabitha scenario. Basically, 12 ski-equipped Finn squads have to cross board 7 frozen river and then dig the Russians out of board 24. Too much death for me to soak up and my personal moral folded on turn 2. I stuck in it for another three turns, but the 5 additional 648s come in behind the russians broke my back. It was a taste of what I dished out the game before.
Game 4 J9 A Stiff Fight
Got the Gurkhas in this one. Can't remember my opponent's name. After the previous night's fight, I really did not want to defend, but the die was against me and I got stuck with the Gurkhas. I set up a defense and really felt that it looked pro-Japanese. I put two wires in the road and the other two connecting to the bamboo that rounded out the block on the Gurkha right. My opponent came in cautiously and was able to avoid the wire with all but one squad (that got hung up the entire game). He bogged a tank, but got it back the next turn. Basically, I ran away and skulked as much as possible. Turn 3 found me rallying three dm gurkha MMC with a bunch of lucky DR's that saved the game for me. The last turn found me HOB'ing an 8-0 into an 8-1, that then rallied the game winning 248. I diced my opponent, who only made one error in the entire game that I thought was worth mentioning.
Game 5 HG3 Bumps Along The Tiddam Road
Round 2 of the Gurkha tournament and we choose this HG Japanese slaughter. More than anything else, I am not partial to defending with the Japanese, and after two defend or die scenarios I really did not want to defend. So, I ended up defending. I don't remember too much except that the dozens of -2 shots I took resulted in the death of an entire Gurkha HS. If not for a pair of tactical errors by my opponent that let me kill 2.5 squads in H2HCC I would have been toast even earlier than my turn 6 surrender. I would guess that it favors the Japanese a bit as there is a lot of ground to cover, but if the -2 attacks get you nothing, the end game is a foregone conclusion.
Game 6 PBP6 Raw Deal
I swore I would never defend again, so I talked Steve Ives into playing this old scenario. I had played it once before and won handily as the US and wanted to try again from the other side. Not sure how the Germans can win this one; the first time I played it we forgot to apply the ground snow rules (no road movement rate and +1 up/down hills). Applying those rules makes it seem a howling dog to me, as it pushes the German armor back a turn from being effective. Going over the hills is simply too time consuming. I managed to make a game of it, but one of my panthers stalled on the board edge on the last turn, and a DR4 on TH5 burnt a PzIV in a position that caused the smoke to keep the rest of the infantry/tanks from having enough MP to exit.
Congratulation to Aaron (at least that is what I heard Sunday morn) for the Grofaz. And whoever was making that video on Sunday morning, I want a copy