Juzek
Steve Kyle
Mike Daschbach and I decided to try this one from the newest Dispatches so we could be the first to report a result on ROAR. This scenario might not see a lot of play since it uses night rules and has bocage (hedges only). There isn't a lot of bocage to deal with, and in our playing it had little effect. There's an immobilized Panther behind a bocage hexside but the British didn't get close enough to it for that to matter.
Random choice gave me the attacking British, with Mike setting up the mixed force of SS. Initial NVR is 2, which did not change in this game.
The British win immediatley if they control both multi-hex buildings and the Panther has been eliminated, captured, or abandoned. If that doesn't happen they win at game end by controlling at least 14 stone buildings on Board 10 (or all, whichever is less. Not sure how there could ever be less than 14 buildings to control, but that's what the VC says). All the Board 10 rowhouse bars are open ground, and each hex of a former rowhouse is a single story house.
Germans have 4 658s and 4 447s, and a 228 crew. Leaders are a wounded 10-3, 9-1, and 8-1. There's also a wounded Hero. They have one HMG, 3 LMG, and a PSK. An immobilized Panther must set up in 10DD1 with a CA of CC1-CC2. The Germans can set up foxholes for two squads and have two fortified building locations. They can also rubble up to three stone building locations, one per building.
British set up with 7 458s, 4 457s, and two 127 crews. Leadership for this group is 9-1, 8-1, 7-0. They're given one MMG, a captured German MMG, 2 LMGs, 2 PIATs, a captured PaK40, and 9 concealment counters. The crews can use the captured weapons without penalty. All British units can set up concealed, not cloaked, so the 9 concealment counters provide additional dummy stacks.
Turn 1 reinforcements for the British are 4 648 Assault Engineers, a 9-2 and 7-0, 2 FTs and 2 DCs. These enter Cloaked.
The British also get a Recon dr after set up.
Both sides have 6 Purchase Points to for additional OB units. Germans can add up to two more fortified locations, Booby Trap level increase up to Level A, up to 2 6-factor minefields, 3 Wire counters, upgrade a 658 to an 838, and a DC. Mike opted to buy two minefields, one of which broke a half-squad, the other had no effect (they were placed in building hexes, one if which was entered from a connecting building hex).
The British have the option to add a PIAT, 2 LMGs, 1 MMG, a DC, upgrade the 127 crews to 228s, and an additional 338 Assault Engineer HS. I didn't think the added MGs or PIAT would help much, and I thought about upgrading the crews, but decided to add the AE 338 and DC. That turned out to be a good choice as a thrown DC from the half squad cleared a VC building at the cost of breaking the half squad.
My pre-game Recon dr was as lucky as possible; the dr was 6, and the +1 for British meant I had four hexes to search, revealing 3 dummy stacks and a 238 with a PSK, plus confirming there was no one in the church steeple. Seemed like a good omen.
As is typical for a night attack, the British set up and turn one movement avoided giving the defenders the opportunity to fire starshells for as long as possible. The on board units were all 3 hexes from the German set up, and the turn one reinforcements entered on or adjacent to the 19O7 road, not moving within NVR until the Advance Phase. Straying is not a major concern, but it did occur a couple of times. Fortunately it was limited by road hexes and illuminated locations.
The British were able to get up close to the front line fairly easily, although they did lose a squad to a -2 1st Fire attack in open ground. However, the pressure on the front forced the Germans back and by the end of turn 2 the British controlled 7 buildings. The multi-hex buildings were still strong, and the Panther was a long way away. Mike's choice of rubble hexes denied me 3 building VC locations in his front line that fell early.
With only 5 turns to acheive the VC there's not much time for Prep Fire. A couple of shots here and there but its mostly move in close and get what you can in Advance Fire. The flame-throwers took their toll in my AFPh but Mike succesfully skulked out of my DFPh sights. By the start of the fourth game turn, Mike's units were holding out in the two muli-hex buildings, but the force in the church was just a half squad with an LMG, a 9-1, and broken half squad with PSK. Building 10Z6 was much stronger, with a 447 in one hex and a 658LMG, 228HMG, and the wounded 10-3 in the other, in a fortified location. My units were in the ground floors and the Germans were all on the first level so I had the chance to get Upper Level Encirclement. It didn't quite work because I couldn't get all the ground floor locations occupied with GO units at the same time. It could have been done but I decided I needed to press onward and upward. First, I gave Mike every chance to shoot at moving units before I tried to get my FT team upstairs, but he didn't take the bait. After shooting up a 7-0 with a DC with his 447, the only thing left was to assault move upstairs with the FT team and hope for the best. That was not to be and the half squad went down on a 32 flat shot. However, by holding his fire to hit the FT team, a squad was able to start grabbing unoccupied stone buildings behind his defense, which wound end up being the deciding factor. By the end of the British turn 4 they controlled 13 VC buildings with 3 more within reach. With his units unable to mount an effective counter-attack, Mike conceded at the end of the British Turn 4.
I'm not sure how the British are supposed to use the captured PaK40. I set it up HIP as close to the German line as I could, but it had no targets. Pushing it forward failed on turn 2 and from then on I couldn't get it into play. The captured MMG also had little effect, and neither did the British MMG, but that had more to do with the lack of good targets. My idea was to get them placed to lay down firelanes to inhibit German efforts to cross the streets, but that didn't happen.
With only 5 turns to accomplish the VC it quickly becomes a full-throttle rush by the British, so lots of short-range attacks and potential for Close Combat. The flamethrowers were decisive either due to the results of their attacks or giving the Germans a reason to hold their fire until confronted by them. My pre-game Recon dr was very lucky, allowing me to gain significant ground on turn 1.
We both enjoyed this one, and rated it as a "7" on the ROAR scale.
Random choice gave me the attacking British, with Mike setting up the mixed force of SS. Initial NVR is 2, which did not change in this game.
The British win immediatley if they control both multi-hex buildings and the Panther has been eliminated, captured, or abandoned. If that doesn't happen they win at game end by controlling at least 14 stone buildings on Board 10 (or all, whichever is less. Not sure how there could ever be less than 14 buildings to control, but that's what the VC says). All the Board 10 rowhouse bars are open ground, and each hex of a former rowhouse is a single story house.
Germans have 4 658s and 4 447s, and a 228 crew. Leaders are a wounded 10-3, 9-1, and 8-1. There's also a wounded Hero. They have one HMG, 3 LMG, and a PSK. An immobilized Panther must set up in 10DD1 with a CA of CC1-CC2. The Germans can set up foxholes for two squads and have two fortified building locations. They can also rubble up to three stone building locations, one per building.
British set up with 7 458s, 4 457s, and two 127 crews. Leadership for this group is 9-1, 8-1, 7-0. They're given one MMG, a captured German MMG, 2 LMGs, 2 PIATs, a captured PaK40, and 9 concealment counters. The crews can use the captured weapons without penalty. All British units can set up concealed, not cloaked, so the 9 concealment counters provide additional dummy stacks.
Turn 1 reinforcements for the British are 4 648 Assault Engineers, a 9-2 and 7-0, 2 FTs and 2 DCs. These enter Cloaked.
The British also get a Recon dr after set up.
Both sides have 6 Purchase Points to for additional OB units. Germans can add up to two more fortified locations, Booby Trap level increase up to Level A, up to 2 6-factor minefields, 3 Wire counters, upgrade a 658 to an 838, and a DC. Mike opted to buy two minefields, one of which broke a half-squad, the other had no effect (they were placed in building hexes, one if which was entered from a connecting building hex).
The British have the option to add a PIAT, 2 LMGs, 1 MMG, a DC, upgrade the 127 crews to 228s, and an additional 338 Assault Engineer HS. I didn't think the added MGs or PIAT would help much, and I thought about upgrading the crews, but decided to add the AE 338 and DC. That turned out to be a good choice as a thrown DC from the half squad cleared a VC building at the cost of breaking the half squad.
My pre-game Recon dr was as lucky as possible; the dr was 6, and the +1 for British meant I had four hexes to search, revealing 3 dummy stacks and a 238 with a PSK, plus confirming there was no one in the church steeple. Seemed like a good omen.
As is typical for a night attack, the British set up and turn one movement avoided giving the defenders the opportunity to fire starshells for as long as possible. The on board units were all 3 hexes from the German set up, and the turn one reinforcements entered on or adjacent to the 19O7 road, not moving within NVR until the Advance Phase. Straying is not a major concern, but it did occur a couple of times. Fortunately it was limited by road hexes and illuminated locations.
The British were able to get up close to the front line fairly easily, although they did lose a squad to a -2 1st Fire attack in open ground. However, the pressure on the front forced the Germans back and by the end of turn 2 the British controlled 7 buildings. The multi-hex buildings were still strong, and the Panther was a long way away. Mike's choice of rubble hexes denied me 3 building VC locations in his front line that fell early.
With only 5 turns to acheive the VC there's not much time for Prep Fire. A couple of shots here and there but its mostly move in close and get what you can in Advance Fire. The flame-throwers took their toll in my AFPh but Mike succesfully skulked out of my DFPh sights. By the start of the fourth game turn, Mike's units were holding out in the two muli-hex buildings, but the force in the church was just a half squad with an LMG, a 9-1, and broken half squad with PSK. Building 10Z6 was much stronger, with a 447 in one hex and a 658LMG, 228HMG, and the wounded 10-3 in the other, in a fortified location. My units were in the ground floors and the Germans were all on the first level so I had the chance to get Upper Level Encirclement. It didn't quite work because I couldn't get all the ground floor locations occupied with GO units at the same time. It could have been done but I decided I needed to press onward and upward. First, I gave Mike every chance to shoot at moving units before I tried to get my FT team upstairs, but he didn't take the bait. After shooting up a 7-0 with a DC with his 447, the only thing left was to assault move upstairs with the FT team and hope for the best. That was not to be and the half squad went down on a 32 flat shot. However, by holding his fire to hit the FT team, a squad was able to start grabbing unoccupied stone buildings behind his defense, which wound end up being the deciding factor. By the end of the British turn 4 they controlled 13 VC buildings with 3 more within reach. With his units unable to mount an effective counter-attack, Mike conceded at the end of the British Turn 4.
I'm not sure how the British are supposed to use the captured PaK40. I set it up HIP as close to the German line as I could, but it had no targets. Pushing it forward failed on turn 2 and from then on I couldn't get it into play. The captured MMG also had little effect, and neither did the British MMG, but that had more to do with the lack of good targets. My idea was to get them placed to lay down firelanes to inhibit German efforts to cross the streets, but that didn't happen.
With only 5 turns to accomplish the VC it quickly becomes a full-throttle rush by the British, so lots of short-range attacks and potential for Close Combat. The flamethrowers were decisive either due to the results of their attacks or giving the Germans a reason to hold their fire until confronted by them. My pre-game Recon dr was very lucky, allowing me to gain significant ground on turn 1.
We both enjoyed this one, and rated it as a "7" on the ROAR scale.
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