I finished my second attempt at this scenario. Got 26 points across and 3 DCs set on the bridge. We finished before I set them off, but after the game I threw a few dice and determined that 2 would have blown & 1 of those would have destroyed the bridge (I was curious what can I say). 2 of the DCs were set by a hs and he could only attempt 1 detonation at a time (sw limitations (I think))...so I don't know if the 3rd DC would have worked or not.
I set 1 DC east of the bridge in a likely German interdiction spot. He managed to blow past it at the very end, but did place 1 leader & squad in the building. My unit failed his detonation TC. They survived. LOL. This happens a lot to my set DC controllers.
He entered 2 ACs in the south & 5 in the north. I had 0 luck against the them early on. Although they were firing against them the mtrs were a disappointment here ...but that's dice aint it? I managed to get 1 AC recalled by a sniper (OT & 1MT) and killed 1 about turn 3. Later I stunned 1 of the 1MT ACs and killed the remaining 2 north of the river. Before this my AFV that entered as a reinforcement was promptly killed by an AC, but gave some cover west of the bridge and also placed a smoke grenade to help some evacuees get across. I managed to kill 1 AC in the south with a lucky MG shot but the second blew past my forces & shot some evacuees trying to escape westward. He was the game winner.
A situation came up we were unsure of. I placed a smoke grenade on the bridge and a hs under it set the DC. The modifiers for fire here should be ant TEM, -2 hazardous movement, + 2 smoke. That is easy. I placed the DC with no shots fired. In DF after the smoke cleared he fired at the unit and insisted the -2 for hazardous movement still applied. I thought not.
From the RB:
4.62 HAZARDOUS MOVEMENT: Certain activities are so dangerous that they automatically incur a -2 IFT DRM to any attacks against units so engaged regardless of fire phase until they are pinned (if subject to Pin results). Neither FFMO nor FFNAM apply to shots affected by Hazardous Movement; however, Hazardous Movement is cumulative with all other terrain DRM. Hazardous Movement acts include: pushing a Gun; Flame, roadblock, or rubble Clearance; descending paratroops; Fording; preparing Set DC; Climbing; and sewer movement. Hazardous Movement never applies to vehicles (but does apply to PRC Survival;
D5.6,
D6.9).
He insisted that it apply as the rule says: "...regardless of fire phase ...." and I thought it did not because the unit was no longer setting the DC and the rule says: "... so engaged regardless of fire phase". I let him have his way (he usually has better rules knowledge than I) and it didn't matter when he rolled high. I looked online and could find no definitive answer here - did this come up in playtest? How was it handled?
I only galloped a wagon once (he survived 2 turns), but maybe could have galloped another (it would only need 3 turn rolls) but didn't do it. This may also have cost me the game.
There is other thing I noticed in the middle of the game (when it was too late to correct it) - that my opponent missed. If he had of seen it I feel it would have been game over for me. It concerns LOS. he entered 2 ACs in the south. At first I thought this was a mistake but it was not. To overcome the traffic jam I sent 1/2 of the wagons down the riverbank and the remaining ones down the SS/RR road. At one point he parked an AC at the SS39/40.RR39 vertex (see the attached pic). At that vertex he can see straight down the road to RR31/32/SS32 - every single vertex!!! Youch...it is easy for the Germans to cut this road off. Thankfully he overlooked it - I admit I did too initially but managed to get out of LOS before disaster struck. I had a roadblock preventing this on the riverbank. The fact that this is a possible LOS for the German ACs is 1 more advantage for the Germans that I feel they don't need.
My opponent didn't enter anything in area 3. He & I both agreed that not bringing in anything there is a HUGE error for the Axis. If it were me I would even have guys entering there climb to get to DD22. He told me after after the game that he randomly chose where to enter his groups. In spite of this blunder he still won. My feeling is that it is too hard for the Belgian because most people will send something there.
I think that when playing you should give the Allies the balance at the very least, but really either the wagons should set up closer to the bridge or the VC required on the west be reduced.
Really unique and fun scenario none the less which I would gladly play again. Big recommendation from me. I played about 4 scenarios from this pack so far and liked them all except 1.