Ersatz VASLeague 2021

[WuWei]

There were some problems during the sending of the emails, so some of you will receive the email twice. This might happen again next round if I can't fix the problem in time, but don't worry, everything else seems still fine.
If you didn't receive the email at all, please (after checking your spam folder and wait for another hour or so) contact me!

 

[atomic]

First off: thanks Tobias for your work with the tournament.

I'm missing the result from the first round. Will those come up on the site again?

/asad

 

[WuWei]

I'm missing the result from the first round. Will those come up on the site again?

It's high up on my list of features I like to implement.

 

[JoeArthur]

Played J60 Bad Luck against Kåre Jacobsen. The scenario sort of lived up to its name.........

Panther rolled on and scored a three to hit advancing fire shot on the first Sherman - dead tank.

Next Panther shot - a four to hit on a hull down Sherman. Turret hit, dead tank.

Kåre was getting his share of bad luck.

Joe wants to kill the last tank - the Panther rolls up to shoot point blank at the next Sherman. What have I got to worry about? The Panther was in the VC area so an immobilisation result is no big deal.

Kåre tries the deliberate immobilisation shot. Turret hit, no effect. Next shot was an intensive fire HE area shot. My thoughts were "one more blazing Sherman coming up". Kåre hits - effect snake eyes. Dead Panther.

So bad luck all round...................

Infantry took out the last Sherman with a pf to allow the infantry to walk into the VC area giving a German win - I was still under the CVP cap.

Fun game Kåre - thank you. Good luck in the next round.

 

[atomic]

Completed ASL79 Bridge of the Seven Planets as the Germans today after three sessions with Jörn Helms playing the French. The Germans came out victorious in this scenario when in game turn 9 they were able to break the French resistance in the victory building and advance in for a late afternoon doppelbock.

A few notable incidents in the scenario are worth mentioning. Initially, with no regard for LOS, the German 9-2 and three squads stroll onto the board in no cover and walks into a French HMG firelane. It took two turns to come back from that gigantic mistake and really reemphasises the mantra "DO NOT STACK". Noob move.

The French had some initial success in pinning down the Germans advancing over the meadows from the large building on board 16 where the French have an MMG. However, the French were unlucky enough to break this MMG and then disabling in during the following rally phase giving the Germans freedom of movement on board 16, with the exception of hexrow Q where it was suspected that the French had the second HMG looking for a fire lane from board 40 and across the bridge.

In and around game turn 4-5 the French troops in and around the woods and stone building close to the bridge on the eastern shore of the river surrendered en masse. The Germans received the prisoners and then chose to use them as human shields to advance over the bridge. The Germans had some luck in doing so and were able to get three squads on the western side of the river. Let's not talk of what happened with the human shield.

Meanwhile, the German cross-eyed leader manning the radio was able to put the AR into hexes without LOS. Once he realised he needed to see the bloody hex the Germans were quite lucky with their OBA pulling four black chits in a row. In turn 8 the Germans switched over to placing a smoke mission over the last surviving French HMG.

The German tank suffered a side hull hit across the river from one of the 25LL AT guns and was destroyed. The other 25LL's crew was shot up bad and tried to surrender; they were gunned down. To the German's defence, by that time the Germans has become quite fed-up with the French prisoners' constant demand for croissants. The only food the German soldiers had to offer was knödel but that was really not to the liking of the French.

The French 150 was placed well protected with a view onto the bridge. Not until turn 8 did they reveal themselves, tried to get off a shot to the bore-sighted hex but the blood gun (probably a Renault or something) malfunctioned and remained out of play for the remainder of the scenario.

I've always wanted to play this scenario mostly, to be honest, because of its name. Just love it! And now I love the scenario as well. It was a really fun scenario. My opponent Jörn was very gracious and easy going and made the game a real pleasure. Good luck for next round Jörn!

/asad

 

[MajorDomo]

Rich Domovic's Germans defeat Craig Houliston's partisan/Italian force in Roma2 - Second Hand News.

Good fast paced game which saw fortunes seesaw throughout.

The final seesaw went the German way with an allied "10" failing to capture a badly outnumbered 238 for the win.

Eighteen German EVP made it off the board, one 548 cowering behind an olive grove.

This was necessitated by a partisan leader who pulled out a MOL from his Corsican garb and promptly set an exiting Stug IIIG on fire.

Which was necessitated by a group of Italians with a MMG and 45mn Mtr, repeatedly breaking to the German MMG.

Anyway, you get the point!

 

[jfardette]

In a wild game of J43, 3rd RTR in the Rain, Rob Arrieta's Brits suffered an unlikely loss to my Germans. The game started out great for the Brits as they crossed the open ground more or less unscathed. The 37L was one and done, missing at point blank and being overrun by hordes of British infantry shortly thereafter. Brits got an extra leader and a hero to help lead the attack, too, while the Germans managed to suffer losses to crew small arms in combat against a bypass-freeze tank. The British tanks got in on the action, conducting several overruns vs wall advantage Germans and driving them back.

Things slowly turned around, with the German PZ IV accounting for 3 tanks before perishing, and a lone German squad on the extreme north map edge tying up twice his number for 3 turns, ultimately killing two full squads and wounding a leader before falling on turn 5. The Brits still controlled enough buildings for the win when on the final half turn, a DM half squad self-rallied, dodged two +1 morale checks and ran through the rain to liberate a building and give the Germans a close win. Fantastic game and one of those ASL crazy endings you see once in a while if you keep playing when you should have conceded defeat on turn 3! Thanks Rob for a great game and sorry you came out the wrong side of what was clearly a winning position.

 

[Lobster]

James Kelly and Sebastian Hummel finished Round 2 today.

My Germans prevailed against James's British Paratroopers in OA10 Monty's Mess.

 

[The Purist]

Fabio Maz. and I completed round 2 this evening with a close game of "Yankee Pride" (SP204).

Fabio's Germans hung on for the win.

 

[fabiofotomoto]

Gerry was a real gentleman played and nothing he can done again a mine lone squad running in the snow toward a building on map 41.
thanks for the game

 

[Augie]

In the 2nd Line League, Stephen Worrel and Mike Augustine played BoF7 "The Fields of Black Gold". ROAR shows this as favoring the Russians, so we gave the Germans the balance and diced for sides. Stephen got the Germans, and Mike the Russians. My Russian 50* MTR had awesome rate with awesome results right from the start, and intensive firing 76L arty and my reinforcing tanks got solid damage with no downside. Conversely, the Germans Malf'd two panzers on normal shots. The end result was the Russians won the tank battle, with the German infantry being too few and too spread out to overcome the Russian tank screen on the final objective. Stephen is a fun and good player, and deserved a bit more dice luck.

 

[rpjrim]

In the 2nd Line League, John Mcloughlin's Germans tried to fend off Roy Johanson's French in A104, In Front of the Storm. As the French commander, I expected little from my supporting H35s. They managed to under-deliver against even these modest expectations. One threw a track before even getting into the fray, and the powerful 37* shots were easily shrugged off by the stalwart Germans. We had some entertaining events, including back-to-back HOB rolls which led to a the creation of a French hero (they have those?) and a unit guarding prisoners going berserk. In the end, the French managed to flank the Germans and broke the final lynchpin of the German defense (Mr. 9-2) to cement a French victory. A close and entertaining game.

 

[Larry]

When does round 3 begin?

 

[WuWei]

Deadline for round 2 is May 3rd. Round 3 might start as soon as May 5th. There won't be a long grace period to finish games after the official deadline this time, so hurry up if you haven't finished yet!

 

[WuWei]

Emails for round 3 are sent!

 

[JoeArthur]

Played FE139 The Highest Value as the Russians vs Kris Koch.

I did not get to play it in the Chicago tourny and Kris agreed to give it a whirl.

I had a 9-2 with an HMG with a shot at a German 8-3-8 moving in the open, so -4, then he was carrying a flamethrower a -5 shot. Joe thinks one vapourised squad. I roll an 11 and Kris passes the MC Sometimes you just have to hate the dice.......

Then what the dice take , they give. Same 9-2 with HMG rolled a three on a 10-2 and 8-3-8 sitting in some woods. Random selection and the 10-2 is dead..........I felt sorry for Kris.

In the end she lost too much infantry and having one building could not take the second. Fun scenario which requires careful play from the Germans.

Good luck in the next round Kris.

 

[Larry]

Don Holland (Thai) and I (French) tackled the Debacle at Yeang Dang, BFP 37. The French went through the jungle to the south with the platoon jungle crashing turns 2-6. The trucks and ATR/MTR teams held up the north end. The southern offensive went through the bulk of the Thai infantry, avoiding the invitation to the sparse north and most of hip guns. The French trucks did better than they should have. The dice cruelly treated Don's Thai. At the end of 8, the French achieved the 75 VP.

 

[jfardette]

Jim Fardette (US) and Jay Dragonetti (Germans) played WO3 Counterattack at Carentan. Jim's Americans carried the day with a bazooka accounting for one tank and AT gun killing another. The German infantry were still wrapped up in the bocage to make the exit conditions. I had a great time playing Jay and he was very stoic in the face of some dice god mischief. Thanks for the game Jay.

 

[Vinnie]

Just finished a game of WO12 Heart of the Wilderness with John Boyle. A good fun opponent and a cracking scenario.
In this, you must, as the soviets, capture a bridge and one of 2 buildings.
You have a decent number of troops and come at the defender from all sides, pretty much.
Jack chose to defend only the bridge making my life much easier, I could sweep the buildings up as I passed them.
The first session saw me unable to buy a morale check but I did get to do a Human wave that captured a squad, at the loss of 2 of mine. His INF gun got a crit as I moved into his boresighted location and the ensuing 2 result destroyed both the squad that got the crit and the other one!
With my inability to force much of an issue, I merely played hide and seek with my starting forces until my reinforcements came up the other side.
I was then able to put real pressure on his defenders and a second human wave saw me able to place a half squad onto the bridge with several units next to it.
Despite frantic firing from the defending germans, Jack was unable to shift this guy and as he moved units to advance onto the location every MMC broke thus he was unable to recapture it.
I'd play this one again as both sides have options. A defnce that sits and fails tompress an advantage is doomed to failure while an uncoordinated attack will not result in success either.

 

[TopT]

Finished a game of AP54_ 800 Heroes against Joern Helms today. I played the Chinese & Joern had the Japanese. He easily moved his forces to jump into HtH against my Chinese but at critical times he lost crucial CC's that cost him. A couple of times I thought I was done for but lady luck held out for me. By my T4, Joern kind of realized that he was not going to be able to capture the three locations needed inside of the 3aol12 building plus I was also in a position to take back at least 1 or 2 buildings locations to seal a victory.
Joern was a pleasure to play against and he even took some of my whining in stride . He did impress upon me to keep playing until the end as things can change on a dime. Occasionally, I do throw the towel in rather quickly.